Han Shizu

For Loujiang College, the autumn of Yongxi's 13th year was indeed a lucky season. In the early autumn, King Linzi visited. Two months later, the Emperor of Han Dynasty and the supreme ruler of the entire empire came to inspect.

For the more than one hundred teachers and students in the academy, it was a mixture of surprises. There were hundreds of academies in the world, but only eight or nine were famous in the world. They could be counted on one hand by the emperor who personally inspected them.

However, Loujiang College, which was established recently and had no money, neither had the leadership of the current generation nor the endorsement of famous ministers and alumni to make its name famous, but it has welcomed a real dragon. Such an opportunity would make colleges and schools all over the world envy it.

Among them, the one who almost fainted with excitement was undoubtedly Wang Xuexin, the head of the academy. How lucky he was to be able to confront His Majesty the Emperor face to face and consult with him for education and knowledge. For such an opportunity, not to mention those fellow students at Suiyang Academy, but also among those erudite scholars and famous people, how many of them are qualified?

Of course, the inspection process did not go as Wang Xuexin expected, with the emperor and his ministers sitting across from each other, drinking tea and discussing Taoism. He calmly explained his academic philosophy and ideological propositions to the emperor.

The real process was plain, boring and even boring. Compared with the scholar in charge of the academy, he was more like a tour guide. He led the emperor and his party around the pavilions and halls in the academy and enjoyed the scenery of Loujiang River. I took a look at the teaching environment of the college.

Wang Xuexin was given almost no opportunity to lecture, and Liu Yang was more interested in the students in the college than listening to Wang Xuexin talk about his "private goods." He also randomly selected a few students and asked them about their origins and academic aspirations. The benevolent and friendly image of the Emperor of Han was firmly rooted in the minds of these teachers and students of Loujiang College.

After spending three full days in this most innovative and unique college in the Han Empire, and understanding all the details, Luan Jia just set off, crossed to Hetang, and headed for Shanghai.

Luan Jia drove slowly on the dirt road, which was bumpy and undulating, making him extremely uncomfortable. Even if it is as prosperous as Jiangnan, not all roads are flat and open. Of course, after getting to the official road, the situation is much better, and there are obviously more people on the road.

In the car, Linzi King Liu Wenji was ordered to board the car again. After carefully studying his second son for a while, Liu Yang spoke: "What are your considerations about Loujiang College?"

Obviously, the emperor knew the details of Loujiang College, and after personally observing its purpose of running the school and its teaching philosophy, Liu Yang even showed a hint of caution on his serious face.

Liu Wenji glanced at the emperor's father carefully, and his expression became solemn. After thinking for a while, he said in a cautious tone: "When I was working in Jiangguan Customs before, I felt that the affairs were heavy and the tax law and tax accounting talents were scarce. , officials at all levels may have insufficient capabilities or personnel shortages, which is not conducive to the efficient and orderly operation of the customs.

At the same time, there are similar situations within government agencies at all levels. Therefore, I tried to organize and coordinate in these three prefectures and cities to set up this college to train some officials for the three prefectures to make up for the lack of official talents."

"Don't you know that the imperial court is in the process of eliminating redundant officials at all levels?" Liu Yang asked calmly.

After hearing this, Liu Wenji nodded slightly and said calmly: "I believe that your Majesty's elimination of redundant personnel is a correct reform measure. In Suzhou, Xiuzhou, and Shanghai, the redundant personnel at all levels who have been abolished in the past two years have also been eliminated. About two hundred people.

However, I also believe that those who should be abolished by the imperial court are those who live without food and receive salary on an empty basis, or those who have poor talents and morals and commit crimes.

On the contrary, the court should encourage and promote some truly talented officials who can do practical things.

At present, the popular selection of officials in the Han Dynasty officialdom is mostly selected and appointed privately by officials at all levels. After several observations and studies, I came up with the idea of ​​building an official college.

The government takes the lead in establishing schools, dispatching directors and professors to provide management education, and specializes in cultivating administrative talents that the government lacks. I don’t know the pros and cons of this move, but it is always an attempt.”

Having said this, Liu Wenji paused for a moment, then looked up at Liu Yang and said in a deep voice: "On the other hand, in terms of solving specific official and secular affairs, ten great Confucian scholars who have read poetry and studied classics and history intensively can also It may not be more effective than an ordinary scholar who is familiar with laws and agricultural books, is familiar with people's livelihood and people, and is proficient in arithmetic and mathematics!"

When Liu Wenji said this, Liu Yang was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but speak: "This statement is too arbitrary and biased!"

Liu Wenji said: "I may be biased, but this is my deepest feeling from my experience in Jiangnan Road in the past few years!

Government offices in various places are like a ship. If they want to sail stably, they need not only the helmsman and the sails of the imperial officials, but also the assistance of a large number of sailors to ride the wind and waves.

A large number of officials at all levels are an indispensable part of the imperial rule, and they are also the transmitters and executors of many political affairs and orders, playing a significant role in the consolidation of the country and the stability of the country."

Liu Yang's brows twisted up involuntarily. He thought for a while, then looked up at Liu Wenji and said quietly: "Since the time of the ancestors, how has the imperial court ever neglected the role of the officials? What I'm curious about is that you have also been familiar with it since you were a child. The Four Books and Five Classics, I study the words of the saints, but I just listen to your opinions, but don’t like to adopt them in matters of government and the people?

If your words were to spread, it would be an easy matter for you to be criticized as "deviant" by those old Confucian scholars.

What's more, the ministers who hold high positions and hold great power in the imperial court are also great scholars who have read a lot of books and have learned a lot. They are also smart and capable! "

Hearing this, Liu Wenji immediately raised his hands and said: "I dare not despise the words of the ancient sages and sages. The number of officials in the world is dozens of times that of the imperial officials. Only the good and the bad can be divided into high and low. How can everyone have the ability to govern?" Talents like those of middle- and high-ranking officials and virtuous ministers?

What's more, the classic teachings of the sages have not been abandoned. For example, the hundreds of students at Loujiang College have a foundation for enlightenment.

I still remember a teaching given by my ancestor when I was young. He said that the principles of government, the laws of governing the country, and the strategies of controlling the people summarized by the sages and sages can only be used as guiding ideology to consolidate the rule of the imperial court and maintain the country and the country. In order to make the entire country stable and prosperous, For orderly operation and development, some specific methods and some specific people are needed. In recent years, I have gradually realized that the methods and people mentioned by Shizu may have been referring to the many institutional rules, laws and regulations of the Han Dynasty, as well as the tens of thousands of officials in the Han Dynasty.

Furthermore, the ancestors did not like old Confucian scholars, and His Majesty always respected the rule of law, but the Han Empire still developed so prosperously. It can be seen from this that the governance of the country needs to focus on reality and cannot be blindly pragmatic.

The court should also pay attention to the selection of officials."

After listening to Liu Wenji's talk, Liu Yang couldn't help but stare at him, with a little complexity in his eyes. He said that this was the first time that his second son explained to him his views on governing the country, managing politics, controlling the people, and employing people. understanding of things.

"I'm lying! If there is anything wrong, please forgive me!" Liu Wenji said again after noticing Liu Yang's gaze.

Liu Yang waved his hands, put on a smile on his lips, and said with emotion: "On this matter, your knowledge is much higher than mine."

How could Liu Wenji dare to take this on? He expressed slightly nervously: "Your Majesty's wise insight and far-sightedness cannot be matched by this minister."

Liu Yang shook his head slightly and said: "In view of the reduction of redundant staff and officials, even if we remove 10,000 officials, it will only stop the boiling water. It is easy to lay off people, so we need to establish a system and system for cultivating and selecting personnel talents. Rules, but difficult.

And you are doing exactly this by promoting the establishment of Loujiang College. If it can be promoted smoothly, it will be of great significance to the selection and training of officials throughout the Han Dynasty.

This is even a change. If you think about it carefully, the Han Dynasty had a civil and military system to select officials, but there was no clear and complete system for the appointment of officials. Everything was decided by the vision and likes and dislikes of officials at all levels. This is cause for concern.

What you have to do is to change the practices that have prevailed for thousands of years. This is not easy. At present, Loujiang College is still very small, limited to Suzhou, Xiuzhou, and Shanghai, with not many students. It has not even seen results yet, so it is not very noticeable.

However, once word spreads, or even attempts to be promoted, it will face many obstacles!

Do you know why? "

The emperor's words made Liu Wenji's expression become serious, even a little solemn. He immediately recalled in his mind the difficulties in eliminating redundant officials in Jiangnan Province in the past two years, various delays and obstacles, and all kinds of strange stories. .

After thinking carefully, Liu Wenji looked at Liu Yang and said in a deep voice: "If this move is successful, it will gradually undermine the power of officials in various places, especially officials at all levels, in the appointment and management of official positions."

Regarding this answer, Liu Yang did not comment, but leaned back, put himself in a lazy posture, and then said softly: "Let's see the effect of Loujiang Academy first. As you said, it is always worth trying. Ichiban!"

"Yes!" This was regarded as recognition from the emperor. Liu Wenji was slightly happy and solemnly expressed his position.

"Stay back!" Liu Yang waved to Liu Wenji and closed his eyes, looking tired.

"I resign!"

After Liu Wenji left the car, Liu Yangfang opened his eyes. Hesitation appeared in his old eyes, but in the end, it turned into a long sigh.

In the autumn and September of the thirteenth year of Yongxi's reign, Emperor Liu Yang came to Shanghai for the first time in his life. This is the most special coastal city in the Han Dynasty that has been famous for a long time and is developing rapidly.

On the day Luan Jia arrived, the whole city of Shanghai was in a state of excitement. Even though there were clear orders from the camp and the officials at all levels below Daosi that there was no need to welcome Luan Jia, so that the soldiers and civilians could live in peace and contentment, there were still more than 100,000 people in Shanghai. The people gathered together for a while and warmly welcomed the arrival of the holy driver.

As Mr. Luan drove slowly towards the office area in the center of Shanghai, a large area was crowded with people kneeling down on both sides of the road.

This time, Wang Xuanzhen frankly stated to the emperor that there was really no organizational arrangement, everything was based on the volunteers of the soldiers and the people, and the officials and soldiers were only controlling the scene and maintaining order.

In this regard, Liu Yang could only be moved by the "simplicity" and enthusiasm of Shanghai's people.

I originally wanted to finish the Taizong chapter, but I've had a bad cold these past two days, my mind has been in a state of confusion, and I feel like I'm constipated when I'm writing, so this chapter ends here.