Han Shizu

Chapter 2188 Renzong Chapter 5 The Completely Solidified Ruling Class

In the spring of the eleventh year of the Zhengtong reign (1052), in Xijing, the imperial examination, which was held once every three years, had just come to an end. Taking advantage of the opportunity of the gathering of talented people from all over the world in the capital, the annual Peony Poetry Festival was about to begin...

As time goes by, the impressions of our ancestors have gradually become blurred in people's minds. The once magnificent history and those heart-wrenching stories have only remained in the writings of historians and scholars and in the poems of literati and poets.

Most people are more accustomed to living in the present and enjoying the present, especially for the people of the capital who live in the center of the world. The orthodox era with social stability, economic prosperity and brilliant culture can be called an era of enjoyment for all people, but the target group of this prosperous and happy era is inevitably getting narrower and narrower...

Since Emperor Shizong, in the nearly forty years since then, the imperial examinations of the Han Empire have become increasingly "political and legal" and "academicized". This is not only because the imperial court has paid more and more attention to legal principles in selecting talents, but also because a large number of students and scholars from the University of Political Science and Law and other local academic academies have appeared in large numbers on the "imperial examination", the empire's most orthodox, highest-level, and most competitive "track" for entering the officialdom.

By the Zhengtong era, the ways to enter the government in the Han Empire had been clearly divided into three: the first was through examination, the second was through favoritism, and the third was through "employment based on ability." Among these three ways, no matter how the examination was influenced by the ruling class such as the powerful and the academic cliques, it was the most fair way for the empire to select talents. At least it gave people some hope, and every session could see some talented people from "poor families" emerge.

Second, needless to say, the welfare of the powerful is also one of the fundamental reasons for the ruling class to maintain the rule of the empire. Although it has always been criticized by the wise and virtuous, it has always existed.

And in a "low-key" way, they passed on their power calmly and firmly held a great deal of the empire's voice. In the more than 100 years of development and change in the empire, new and old dignitaries have been constantly replaced, but this class has been growing stronger. It is not only the strong backbone of the empire, but also a parasite on the huge body of the empire.
As for the third path, it is the most difficult one, the situation is also the most complicated, and it is becoming more and more difficult and complicated. In the final analysis, there are millions of clerks at all levels in the empire, but the number of officials appointed by the court is fixed, and the gap between officials and clerks is constantly widening, like a deep chasm, so that the lower-level officialdom has a saying that "once you enter the officialdom, it is difficult to turn over."

Looking back, it was during the reign of Emperor Taizu that the concept of "recruiting talents regardless of their background" was truly implemented. During the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Sejong, the rule of law was constantly strengthened, the hierarchical rules became increasingly strict, and it became less and less friendly to the vast majority of officials.

Sejong did train a large number of high-quality officials by establishing civil service schools, but for many students, their first choice was still to go to the capital for examinations, and they were only willing to accept the path of becoming an official as a last resort.

However, although it is difficult to transform from a clerk to an official, and the upper limit is very low, it is easy to produce talents, especially those who are practical. After all, they are talents who stand out from millions of officials. Whether it is ability, experience or luck, all of them are indispensable.

During the six years that Shangshu Ling Fan Zhongyan was in power, there were many rectifications and reforms to the empire's civil service. Among them, in the selection of talented officials, he vigorously promoted a group of officials and appointed them to official positions. Most of these people had practical talents, but they were attacked as "Fan's party" and one of Fan Zhongyan's "bad policies". The reason for this was that he had disturbed the interests of other vested interest groups.

As these three paths to officialdom became increasingly clear, they also meant the complete solidification of the imperial class, which was particularly evident in the empire's upper ruling structure.

During the Kaibao period, on the basis of the founding heroes of the Qianyou generation, a number of commoner leaders such as Zhao Pu, Lu Duosun, Zhang Yong, Li Fang, Lu Duan, Wang You, and Wang Yuzhen emerged;
During the reign of Emperor Taizong, officials such as Zhang Qixian, Li Hang, Lu Mengzheng, Xu Shilian, and Kou Zhun also carried the banner of commoner bureaucrats;
Even during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, there were still famous and capable officials who rose from common people, such as Zhang Jian, Du Yan, Zeng Hui, Wang Qinruo, Ding Wei, Xia Song, and Bao Zheng.

But since the Zhengtong era, to be precise, since the middle and late Jianlong period, it has become rare to see people who have achieved high positions by their own strength and amazing talents. It is not that there are none, but they are very few, and the upper limit is visible to the naked eye.

High positions in the imperial temple are basically occupied by powerful groups. The higher you go, the more so. No matter whether it is the prime minister of the central government or the local governor, it is very difficult to find someone with a common background.

It is not that there are no people from humble backgrounds who rise to prominence, but it is simply wishful thinking to climb to a high position by relying solely on personal talent and hard work without relying on the powerful. The Han Empire was not without such people, but for most of them, whether they could achieve the post of a provincial governor in their entire lives was a big question mark.

Bao Zheng is well-known for not being attached to the powerful and even "opposing" the powerful. However, how many people are there in the world like him? Moreover, if Bao Zheng had not been born in the Political Science and Law University, was a close minister of Emperor Shizong, and was a lecturer to the emperor, how long could he have stayed in the upper echelons of the empire even if he had a great reputation?
Even so, he was repeatedly criticized and his situation was worrying. He could hardly make any progress in his personal career. Honorary titles such as Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall were casually given to him, but Fan Zhongyan twice pushed Bao Zheng to enter the Council of State to be appointed as prime minister, but was opposed by the crowd both times, especially on the proposal of the Inspector-General.

Let's take a look at some of the ministers who emerged in the imperial political arena in the middle and late period of Sejong. Ouyang Xiu, who was already a great writer in the Zhengtong era, revised the "Book of Tang" and "History of Three Dynasties" with Su Shunqin and others, and was a leader of the new generation of Qingliu.

But Ouyang Xiu's rise to prominence, in addition to his own amazing talent, is also due to his graduate school of Political Science and Law and his success as the top scholar. If we trace his origins, he also relied on the support of several fathers-in-law, including Xu Yan, Yang Kan, and Xue Kui.
Even so, Ouyang Xiu never really held a high position in the government throughout his life, nor did he hold real power or important authority in the court. He was just very famous and had great achievements in literature.

But in the eyes of the real rulers of the Han Empire, he was not even ranked at all. He was more like a Buddha statue placed in the palace by the masters. Once his words and deeds were out of line, he would be exiled.

Cai Xiang was also a great man of his generation and a leader of the Qingliu school. He came from the Fujian School and was now the head of the Putian School. Fu Bi and Han Qi, with many years of experience in government affairs, had long been rising stars in the imperial political arena and were well-known in the court and the country, but they had received promotion and support from prime ministers such as Zhang Jian and Du Yan along the way.

As for Zeng Gong, the top scorer in the imperial examination, he was a disciple of Ouyang Xiu, the Grand Secretary of Jixian Hall and the supervisor of "National History" when Ouyang Xiu was in Fangzhou. He was rumored to be his expert in "ancient prose". What this means is self-evident.

Even Fan Zhongyan, if it were not for his father's reputation as a direct connection with Emperor Taizong, and if it were not for the halo of Loujiang and Suiyang, two academies that had a significant influence on the imperial political arena, would never have been able to become the prime minister.

Of course, the key to Fan Gong's eventual entry into the imperial court, his appointment as Shangshu Ling, and his "respect for the world" was the training and promotion of Emperor Shizong, and also his good luck that the orthodox emperor was "obedient".
It was precisely in such a talent selection mechanism and official growth environment that the few years when Fan Zhongyan was in power were evaluated by later generations as "the last fair era of the Han Empire."

Even though Fan Gong was dedicated to the public, the fairness he maintained had to be put in quotation marks, because the court system he maintained was fundamentally a protection for the imperial nobles.

On the one hand, he firmly maintained the imperial rule and legal system, and on the other hand, he suppressed and restricted the powerful bureaucrats who were the cornerstone of his rule. It is conceivable that Fan Zhongyan's rule was spent in a state of contradiction, entanglement and hardship. It is not wrong to say that he struggled to hold on.

Nothing is perfect. It is precisely because of the increasingly suffocating and restrictive political environment and promotion system after Fan Zhongyan that the clarity and prosperity that the empire had struggled to maintain during Fan Zhongyan's time seemed so rare.

However, even if it becomes more rigid, the scholars and talented people from humble families still have the possibility of rising. The ladder to success is firmly maintained and consolidated by the commoner bureaucrats and used as a facade by the noble group.

The path to ascend, even if narrow, exists after all.
In contrast, the real suffocation is the army. For more than a hundred years, the control of the military nobles over the imperial army has been declining, but they still have a strong voice.

On the other hand, as military bureaucracy is on the rise, some rules unique to the military command and military-political systems have become more solidified. The most notable point is also the promotion mechanism and the path to advancement.

By the Orthodox era, it was a very common thing for the imperial officers and soldiers to be promoted based on their backers and background. It had even been deeply rooted in people's minds and accepted by people, as if this was the rule that was born into being.

For an ordinary soldier, if he has no backing, it is extremely difficult to become a "centurion" in his lifetime relying only on normal military training, garrison, suppression of rebellion and other professional activities.

More people, after reaching the age limit, were sent back to their hometowns to farm. If they had made meritorious contributions or earned a military position, they might have a chance to be assigned to the local service system or the militia system and ask for a job from the local government. Such people are basically one in ten.

For ordinary officers and soldiers in the Han army of the orthodox era, they have gradually lost the glory and treatment they once had. The Zhaolie Temple in Tokyo holds a grand sacrifice every year, but the spirit and will that once moved people's hearts and struck their souls have gradually become stained with dust.
The sources of the imperial officers were mostly from the families of nobles and generals, and from the major military schools of the empire. As for the military examination, it had been completely ruined, and now it was only used as one of the resumes of some officers who were about to be promoted.

As for the selection of military talents, the army has its own rules!

This solidification of the military is particularly evident in the navy.
(End of this chapter)