aircannonsinc Chapter 64 The First Year of Qianwu: The Imperial Examination and Martial Arts
Chapter 64 The First Year of Qianwu: The Imperial Examination and Martial Arts
The first year of the Qianwu reign was a year in which everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt, but it was also a year of great upheaval and change.
Guo Jing did not immediately accept Yang Kang's invitation to join his cause, but he did not explicitly refuse either.
Yang Kang naturally didn't force him. In his opinion, forcing someone like Guo Jing would only push him away into the world, which would be a losing proposition.
But the seed had already been planted, and Yang Kang was certain that Guo Jing would one day join his ranks and serve him.
Having seized control of the Central Plains, Yang Kang did not stop his progress; there was simply too much for him to do.
The Jurchens ruled the Central Plains for a century, and then experienced the Mongol invasions and the rise of the World Society.
Wars broke out one after another, and the people's hearts were unsettled.
The army consisted of Han Chinese from Yanyun, Han Chinese from the Central Plains of the Jin Dynasty, Jurchens, Khitans, and even a considerable number of Mongols.
Governing such a multi-ethnic region is an extremely difficult task.
The Han people of the Central Plains, having finally turned their lives around, were eager to vent their frustrations about the various forms of bullying they had suffered over the past century, leading to a surge in acts of violence and brutality among the populace.
Ethnic conflicts were exceptionally evident from the common people to the central government of the Great Qian Dynasty.
In the military, at least two-thirds of Yang Kang's 100,000 troops were Jurchens, and his top general, Wanyan Chenheshang, was a member of the Jurchen royal family.
This is Yang Kang's elite force, the core of the empire that absolutely cannot be mistreated.
The Red Turban Army, commanded by Yang Miaozhen, consisted of pure Han Chinese men. After several years of replacements, almost all of its members were able-bodied Han Chinese men who had lost their families in the war between the Mongols and the Jin Dynasty.
The relationship between the two armies was not as harmonious as it appeared. Although Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen were present and there were no major problems, it did not mean that there were no disagreements between them.
Among the civil officials, Yelü Chucai, the prime minister of the Great Qian Dynasty, was of Khitan origin. Although he was a completely Sinicized Confucian scholar, in many cases, one's background was used to determine one's interests and stances, rather than to distinguish right from wrong.
The scholars of the Han dynasty were not so welcoming of Yelü Chucai, even though he was the first to advocate for the restoration of official schools and the imperial examination system.
Countless Han Chinese rulers and ministers, as well as some military generals, and even civil and military officials promoted by Yelü Chucai, flocked to Empress Yang Miaozhen's side, hoping to use the empress's prestige to counterbalance some overly powerful foreign forces in the court.
Yang Kang was happy to set off on these matters. Many problems would take time to resolve, and time was the last thing he needed.
Apart from the fact that no one is allowed to interfere in the education of her own son, Yang Qian, everything else is a minor matter.
Of course, it was the first year after the founding of the nation, and although these factions existed in the shadows, it was not yet time for them to start arguing.
In the early days of the empire, its power expanded every day, creating a pie large enough to satisfy the interests of everyone.
With the establishment of the Six Ministries, the number of officials needed by each branch is increasing exponentially. Each faction is unable to secure enough talent to fill the power vacancies, so it is not yet time for conflict to break out.
Inside the Imperial Palace of Yanjing.
Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen sat side by side, organizing the day's affairs together.
They didn't stop until late at night.
Although it was customary for the empress dowager not to interfere in politics, no one would include Yang Miaozhen in this rule, including Yang Kang himself.
After all, at this time, more than half of the military power of the entire Daqian Empire was in the hands of this empress. She was more like another emperor of the Daqian Empire than an empress.
"Guo Jing still disagreed with taking up an official post."
Yang Miaozhen looked at her husband and smiled.
Yang Kang rarely suffered setbacks; it was a rare sight indeed.
A reply from Shandong was handed to Yang Kang.
"Being an enemy of one's own country is ultimately not an easy thing."
Yang Kang put down his pen and looked at her helplessly.
"In my opinion, you're just too kind."
"How many people does Mongolia have? Only a few hundred thousand. Why not just kill them all? What's the point of all that trouble?"
Yang Miaozhen said this half seriously and half jokingly.
"How come I never realized you were a born killer? Why do you want to kill for everything?"
Yang Kang patted his head and looked helplessly at his wife.
"You once said something I really like: it's much more direct to deal with the person who raises the problem than to solve it."
Yang Miaozhen picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"There are millions of Han people in the world. Isn't it enough for you and me to be kings of the Han people? Why must we look up to these foreign tribes?"
She put down her teacup, her gaze sharpening.
"Even though there are loyal and righteous people like Yelü Chucai and Wanyan Chenheshang among the foreign tribes, most of them, such as the Jurchen, Khitan, and Mongols, are wolves in sheep's clothing, fearing power but not treacherous."
"If you ask me, we should bury all these people alive, and then let the Han people govern the land that is vacated."
As Yang Miaozhen spoke, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
Clearly, her initial joke had turned into a serious idea.
Yang Kang chuckled, looked at his wife, and then shook his head.
"With the world in chaos and dynasties changing hands, there is no real distinction between ethnic groups."
"However, those Han Chinese who could not survive fled to Liaodong and became Jurchens, and those who fled to the grasslands and became Mongols."
"If a foreign tribe settles in the Central Plains and cultivates the land for two generations, they will also become Han people."
"We are all of the same bloodline, how can we kill them all?"
"If we could have killed them all, there would have been no more trouble from foreign tribes after the Han and Tang dynasties, and we wouldn't be where we are today."
"You must never let anyone else hear these words."
Yang Kang said helplessly.
However, Yang Kang suddenly changed the subject.
"I was raised by the Jurchens and assisted by the Khitans, but my bloodline is Han Chinese."
"I will naturally take good care of the Khitans, Jurchens, and Han people."
"But in Mongolia, I am nothing more than a Mongolian wife and an unborn child."
"It seems there's really no reason to be merciful to them."
"If Guo Jing still refused to serve when Chagatai marched south..."
As Yang Kang spoke, his eyes suddenly turned incredibly cold.
"I'll handle those people then."
"Honestly, I really dislike the existence of so many foreign races on my Han Chinese land."
A red glint flashed in Yang Miaozhen's eyes.
Her marksmanship and martial arts skills had reached an extremely terrifying level through her battles and killings.
The murderous aura that was emanating from time to time had begun to substantially affect the circulation of true qi.
Throughout the entire palace, apart from Yang Kang, almost everyone who saw her would instinctively feel fear, even her own son Yang Qian.
"When did your murderous aura become so strong?"
Yang Kang stood up, and in a flash, he appeared in front of his wife, bent down, picked her up, and walked towards the inner hall.
His wife has been a bit irritable lately, and he has to sacrifice himself to appease her anger.
Yang Kang sighed inwardly.
In the days that followed, the construction of the entire Great Qian Empire continued in full swing.
Yelü Chucai, Yuan Haowen, and others quickly agreed on the date for the first imperial examination of the Great Qian Dynasty.
At Yang Kang's insistence, a martial arts subject was added to the imperial examination.
Its content is not complicated. It consists of several basic introductory martial arts created by Yang Kang over the years with the assistance of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen and the insights of Huang Yaoshi, Hong Qigong, Yideng and others, which are related to martial arts theory.
The Great Qian Dynasty was founded on military strength, and he himself relied on terrifying individual martial prowess to achieve his current status, so naturally he would not underestimate the power of martial arts.
Although Yelü Chucai and others had strong objections, Yang Kang was, after all, the emperor, so they had no choice but to comply.
Of course, martial arts and the distinction between civil and military officials in the imperial court are not the same thing. Most of the core officials of the Great Qian Dynasty practiced some of the internal energy of the Nine Yin Manual. That did not make them martial arts masters, but only increased their strength so that they could work more efficiently.
They didn't object to it, but they felt that this matter shouldn't be included in the first imperial examination.
Wanyan Chenheshang and Zhang Rou and others have basically wiped out the various disobedient forces within the territory by subduing the surrendered generals. Apart from the troops left to guard the border, most of the troops have begun to return north.
For Yang Kang's great cause, the two of them didn't even have time to attend the founding ceremony of the country, and they even received their rewards in the military camp.
In May, Wanyan Chenheshang and Zhang Rou finally returned to Yanjing.
Meanwhile, news from the northern Mongolians also arrived.
After spending half a year integrating the various Mongol tribes, Chagatai decided to march south again in the autumn to attack Daqian.