Chapter 1165: Imperial Examination
Time flies, more than ten years in a blink of an eye.
In the past ten years, many major events have occurred in the Western World. For example, the old king of the Terrera Kingdom, His Majesty Zion, turned from martial arts to magic when his hair and beard were all white and his walking was trembling. The high-level magician, not to mention his life for at least 50 or 60 years, was also angry with his second son who was already waiting to succeed him - his eldest son was not very lucky, he died at the age of 60 , couldn't survive his father.
His Majesty Zion's hair and beard are still white, but his walking has become much more stable, and he doesn't even need crutches. Judging by his posture, it is estimated that his grandson will not be able to survive him.
No, maybe the next generation will not work, the next generation will not be able to...
After all... Who knows if His Majesty Zion will break through again? If he made another breakthrough and stepped from mortal to legend, he would have a lifespan of thousands of years. Even taking into account his relatively poor foundation, at least he can live for three or four hundred years.
Three or four hundred years... how many generations would it take to die!
Compared with this matter, other things are about the same level. For example, the prince of the Kingdom of Layton became a monk, and the king had to change his heir; the Queen of the Kingdom of Ellants abdicated and passed the throne to Her Majesty the Princess; West Laika changed the Grand Consul for two terms... these are roughly It's just like "King Zion will continue to wait for a long time".
However, even if he waits for a long time, so what? Can he still look better than the Prime Minister of the Molai Federation, Brave Sellers?
In general, these things have little effect on the traversers. In contrast, they actually care about another thing more.
Northern Imperial Examination.
Nearly seventy years have passed since the traversers took control of the north. In the past seventy years, the northern border has undergone earth-shaking changes. Although the development is relatively slow due to the small population base, after these years of development, the northern border has become the most prosperous area in the entire western continent.
Limited by climate and soil quality, agriculture in the north has always been underdeveloped. On the contrary, because of the increase in population, it has changed from a food production area to an area that needs to buy food. The Beijing spirits, which once sold well in the world, will no longer appear in ordinary hotels and pubs. Only some high-end restaurants can provide the limited amount of Beijing liquor every year to entertain guests.
At present, the main source of income in the north is industry, which provides almost a quarter of the light industrial products of the entire western world, including but not limited to food processing, textiles, leather and furniture, etc. Behind the huge production is an equally large group of workers, and behind these groups of workers is the Northern Education that shocked the world.
Liv Tarahan, Earl of Tarahan once proudly said: "Tarahan has no illiterate people."
This is not an exaggeration, since his grandfather Doron Tarahan, successive Counts of Tarahan have paid great attention to education. Especially when the Dracula County, a little northerly, announced the implementation of education for all, the Tarakhans quickly followed up and promoted education for all.
More than 30 years ago, night schools were also established in the last village in the Tarakhan region. Under such circumstances, Lord Liv could happily announce that Tara Khan had officially entered the era of national culture at the celebration of the first anniversary of his ascension to the throne.
Now, when you walk in any city in the Tarakhan area, you can find any resident and you can help you interpret the lord's policy documents. Many people can also write two lines of poems and make up two songs, which is similar to a bard. work.
Even in the countryside, the literacy rate is not as good as that in the city, but there will never be such ignorant people who can't even read simple laws and can't even write their own names.
...unless he is mentally retarded.
Today's Tara Khan has been regarded as the successor of the cultural tradition of Trela, and its status in the cultural world has even surpassed the city of Trela, the ancient capital of thousands of years.
Three generations and more than 60 years of business have developed Tara Khan's Yu Yuwen style.
In fact, if we want to talk about the popularity of culture, the Dracula leader in the north of Tara Khan probably has a higher degree of cultural popularity. However, Dracula's reputation is not good, many people do not like it, especially nobles and scholars. Many of the policies of "Devil of the North" Locke Dracula made them feel uncomfortable from the heart. In this case, if they can bear not to speak ill of Dracula, they are already powerful. The result of force deterrence, wanting them to say a few good words about Dracula's leadership is simply more difficult than going to the sky.
Of course, the Demon King of the North didn't care what others thought of him. He often said: "I only care about how ordinary people live, and other things have nothing to do with me."
That's what he said, and he really did.
For example, in the current Dracula leadership, officials use a selection system entirely. A farmer, he gets along well with his neighbors, then he will be appointed as a community officer - Dracula does not have a village in the usual sense, only a small town. In these towns, ordinary people who are familiar with their neighbors and their parents form the most unique ruling system in the entire Western World.
These officers, if they do a good job, are promoted to coordinate the management of more districts. And if the senior officer managing the larger area makes a mistake, he will be demoted.
There is no lord in Dracula, or, in theory, there is only one lord, Count Dracula himself.
Although... the Count did not live like a nobleman at all.
Although he is handsome, although he often wears gorgeous dresses, under normal circumstances, you can find him in various research institutes, in schools everywhere, or in courts, or even in the fields. There is no way to find him in the lord's mansion.
Dracula led the "governance" work by a group of ordinary people who were selected from the grassroots officers level by level, with skilled management skills and rich management experience, but their blood and force were not worth mentioning.
Such a place can attract many young people who are full of ideals in society, but obviously cannot attract ordinary aristocrats and scholars with rich historical knowledge.
At present, the mainstream society in Xilu has completely adopted an attitude of "isolation" towards Dracula. They ignore what's going on there, don't care, don't discuss it as if it didn't exist.
In contrast, the Tara Khan collar, which is closer to the mainstream thinking of the Western World, is loved by them.
For example, the "Imperial Examination" that Tarakhan is about to hold recently has filled many nobles and scholars with curiosity.
According to the decree promulgated by the earl, Tara Khan's imperial examinations are roughly divided into three levels. The first level is based on townships. In each township, there are no people over the age of 40. About one-thousandth of the population can pass the cultural examination every year and be selected and awarded the status of quasi-knights.
These prospective knights will receive unified training, and then go to practical work in various places for three years. After three years, they will be called to various cities in the Tarakhan region to take the second-level exam.
The admission rate for the second-level exam is about one in ten, and the admitted prospective knights will receive formal knighthood. If they want, they can choose the right position and do work that will bring out their abilities. If they want to go further, they need to go to Tarakhan City to participate in the top-level selection every two years after working for at least one year.
The highest-level selection is personally presided over by the supreme rulers of the Tarakhan region. The count himself, the sage of the north, or the president of the Mages Association, Anna, and the archbishops of several major churches... Anyway, at least two of them will definitely be selected. place to host.
There is no specified upper limit for the number of people admitted for the highest-level selection, only a minimum of three people at a time. Those who can pass the selection will be immediately entrusted with important responsibilities, and will receive various privileges that can be hereditary for three generations.
If you like territory, you can get at least one village's territory and become a real noble; if you like money, you can get a share of the chamber of commerce and become a shareholder of the big chamber of commerce... Of course, these are nothing, the most important thing is that you can pass This selected person will directly enter the ruling sequence of Tara Khan and become one of the middle and senior officials who actually rule the most prosperous land in the world.
Interestingly, Count Tarahan does not restrict outsiders to take the exam. On the contrary, he said that as long as he is willing to come and settle in Tara Khan, anyone can take the imperial examination here - of course, the premise is that he must pass the test of the clergy, and he cannot be someone who harbors malice towards Tara Khan.
Not only that, for those scholars from other places, as long as they can pass a simple test, they can skip the first-level imperial examinations and directly participate in the first second-level imperial examinations to be held this fall.
In fact, this first second-level imperial examination was originally aimed at scholars.
When the news came out, the scholars were very happy.
In the Western World, the status of scholars is a little awkward. They have a wealth of knowledge, but this knowledge does not directly translate into wealth or power. A scholar, if he is neither a nobleman nor excellent in force, cannot have a high status.
There are not a lot of such scholars, and many businessmen's children have no talent for martial arts or magic, and their families do not have a lot of money. They are in an awkward position in society and want to rise? There is not enough confidence to support. Satisfied with the status quo? They are not reconciled.
Now, Tara Khan's imperial examination has given them a chance to rise.
Scholars of these businessmen's children often have relatively high cultural attainments. Many people have in-depth research on history, poetry, art, etc., and even become famous for it. In the past, they had no way to turn their knowledge into wealth or power, and could only grow old unwillingly. But now, here's their chance!
Less than half a month after Earl Tarakhan's order was issued, at least two or three hundred young scholars from all over the world hurriedly embarked on the road to the Tarakhan area. Many small businessmen whose families were not very wealthy simply sold their property directly and decided that even if they could not pass the examination, they would settle down in Tara Khan, work and study at the same time, and wait for the next imperial examination.
Nobles from all walks of life are looking at this with scrutiny. For a long time, nobles promoted officials and lower-level nobles through kinship or through meritorious awards. There is nothing wrong with this approach, at least the promoted personnel are relatively reliable and trustworthy.
For the vast majority of nobles, being trustworthy is the most important thing. A trustworthy official without talent is a hundred times better than an untrustworthy official with outstanding talents!
However, if they have a choice, of course, they also hope to get talents who are both trustworthy and talented!
Therefore, at present, the nobles have a slightly complicated idea about the imperial examinations of Tara Khan.
A lot of people feel that this method should be able to recruit good people. But are these talents really suitable for Tara Khan? Everyone was suspicious.
Not only that, in this world, there are still a lot of spells that can deceive the clergy to detect the means. Without relying on the ties of blood, or through actual tests such as war, who can guarantee that these recruits are truly reliable?
And... neither blood nor war, just using exams to recruit officials, or even canonize nobles, is too much of a joke!
Moreover, there are talents among the nobles. Soon, some nobles formally proposed that the method of the imperial examination was unreliable.
The aristocrat said: The selection of talents in the Tarakhan area will definitely lead to a great increase in the number of officials. This will increase government spending, not to mention, and is more likely to hinder the authority of the lord.
How can a lord be considered the most authoritative? He needs to let the people know only his laws, not what he is like, full of power and mystery, so that he can well maintain his authority.
For this reason, when he selects officials and lower-level nobles, it is best not to give the people exact rules-because they cannot let the people see through him.
And what Count Tarahan did was exactly the opposite. The selection of talents through the imperial examination will produce a large number of officials. These officials had contact with the lord and lacked "ignorance" and "reverence" for the lord. When they are in civil activities, they will spread this disrespectful attitude.
Over time, the lord's rule will be shaken. In the event of an accident, the people of Tarakhan are prone to obey other mysterious and powerful lords, abandoning local lords who seem to be no big deal.
These statements have been agreed by many lords, and even many lords who have a good relationship with Earl Tarakhan have quietly contacted him and issued friendly high-level orders to him.
In this regard, Count Tarahan has only one word to say.
"What a bunch of vulgar mortals!" Once again, he sent the messenger of a kind lord. The earl, whose temples were already slightly gray, sat in the small banquet hall of the Earl's Palace, shaking a glass and facing Cameron, who was sitting in front of him. The uncle complained, his face full of helplessness.