Chapter 63 Military Academy Examination
Beijing Military Academy.
Here everyone has to wash their own clothes, because there will be appearance inspections from time to time. At the beginning, some people bet that they would not be caught, so they relaxed their personal hygiene. After being caught by several assistant teachers, they were severely punished and the case was reported to the entire military academy as a typical case. From then on, no one dared to be lazy.
At the current stage of study, in addition to the required daily courses, military academy students can freely choose some other courses according to their personal wishes.
Before being sent here, they had never heard of "spot checks," "appearance inspections," "public notices," etc.
Yan Xuanyu deliberately made the military academy rules strict from the very beginning. His idea was to let these young men from the capital experience a "metamorphosis". Everyone has a different personality and ideas. It would be good if they could learn something and change themselves in the military academy. If they are still the same as before, Yan Xuanyu will just send them where they should be.
...
This day was a rare rest time in the military academy, and Coach Liu and others would relax their supervision over them. Kong Yan said that he had a cotton robe that had not been washed yet, and he would have to wear it again in a few days when the weather got cold, so the three of them found the clothes that needed to be washed and went to wash clothes together.
Ming Chengyu was holding a wooden basin with a cotton robe to be washed and a small box filled with wood ash distributed by the military academy.
Kong Yan walked up to him and nudged him with his elbow because he was holding a wooden basin. "Chengyu, what did Master Rihan say to you when he left you alone?"
Ming Chengyu raised his eyebrows: "Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"
Kong Yan motioned An Yuliang to follow, and the three of them squeezed together.
Then he lowered his voice and said, "I heard rumors that a lot of big things have happened in the capital recently..."
After the call, Kong Yan found that both of them were surprisingly calm. An Yuliang saw his dissatisfied expression and hesitantly said "ah": "It's really shocking."
Kong Yan immediately lost his temper. "Hey, give me some feedback! I worked so hard to find out. Do you know how hard it is to find out what's going on outside in a military academy?"
When Ming Chengyu heard Kong Yan say that a large number of official residences had been raided in the capital, his first thought was, "Is it not a bad thing that the Ming Mansion was raided?" That place had brought him nothing but abuse and harsh treatment since he was born. But his only concern was whether his mother, Wei, would be implicated if the Ming Mansion was also implicated in this incident... After all, the family was tied to the head of the family.
He told the others about his concerns, and all three of them were silent.
An Yuliang's father was a powerless military commander who remained in the capital. He was sent to the military academy simply because court officials often sent hostages, ostensibly students. Therefore, the affairs of the civil officials in the capital had little to do with him. However, the thought that something might happen to his good friend Ming Chengyu's family made him anxious.
"It doesn't matter. I can't leave the military academy now. Let's live well now and think about the midterm exam the day after tomorrow." Ming Chengyu smiled.
The three of them were just about to find a place to put their wooden basins when they suddenly saw a familiar figure.
Kong Yan whispered, "Isn't that Wang Mian?"
Ming Chengyu also noticed something was wrong. Wang Mian seemed too quiet today.
His hands were wrinkled from soaking in the wooden tub, but he still stared straight ahead for a long time without moving.
Being in the same "cage", the students had no big hatreds with each other. Wang Min just had a slightly annoying personality. Apart from making some trouble at the beginning, although his subsequent schoolwork was not outstanding, at least he did it.
Why are you here alone today, looking so distraught?
After the three of them had placed their wooden basins, they stepped forward and Kong Yan said, "Brother Wang, what happened?"
Wang Mi seemed startled by his voice. He subconsciously raised his hands and overturned the wooden basin. The water in the basin splashed all over him. Wang Mi lowered his head to pick up the clothes on the ground and whispered, "Nothing... nothing."
Originally the three of them were a little uncertain, but now they can be sure that something really happened to Wang Mian.
But after all, they didn't have much friendship with Wang Mian, so after comforting him for a few words, they went back to their wooden basins to wash. They also made an appointment to go to the military academy study together until midnight!
Wang Mi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ming Chengyu and the other two leave. If they continued to ask questions, Wang Mi really didn't know what to say.
Today, he accidentally overheard Coach Liu and Coach Guo chatting, and they actually talked about the current situation in Beijing, among which... the Wang family was mentioned.
The Wang family, such a huge family during the previous emperor's time...it is impossible for it to revive.
Wang Mian put the clothes in the wooden basin and did not move for a long time.
However, he was puzzled as to why he did not feel much grief or resentment in his heart, as if he was listening to someone else's story.
Wang Mi tried hard to recall the past, trying to recall the faces of his clansmen, but all he could recall were images of his cousin taking them to play with the poor in the red-light district, and of him riding horses in the suburbs chasing innocent passersby, laughing heartily at their terrified faces...
Those things seemed to be done by another Wang Mian, making him feel a little dazed.
He had been in the military academy for a long time, but he had never thought about the past. To be honest, Coach Liu punished him the most and made him suffer the most, but Wang Mian did not hate him at all. Instead, he felt a secret joy.
Because in the past twenty years, no one had ever treated him like this. His biological mother died early, and his father later married Mrs. Shen, his second wife. Mrs. Shen always indulged him infinitely. No matter what he did, she just smiled. His father said that Mrs. Shen treated him as her own son, but Wang Mian had seen Mrs. Shen beat his third brother until he cried loudly.
Are they considered as biological children? Never.
Fortunately, he was loved by his grandmother, but later his grandmother passed away. As he grew older, he somehow became a completely different person from his younger brother. His third brother, born to Mrs. Di Chen, was well-read, but he spent all day hanging out in red-light districts with his cousin and others. With no one to restrain him, and spending all day with his cousin and others, his temperament became more and more lawless.
But when he came to the military academy, he was taught over and over again what was right and what was wrong. For Wang Mian, it was like a fog in front of his eyes was suddenly cleared.
He is still Wang Mian, but he was originally a straw bag, but now he is "forced" to stuff many other things into his body, such as etiquette and morality. For example, if a person cannot restrain himself and does not abide by the most basic morality, he is no different from an animal.
Wang Mian was in a panic - he was not very sad, but he was very panicked. What should he do, where would he go in the future, would he... still be alive?
...
Several students were suddenly taken out of the military academy, which caused an uproar in the academy.
Someone asked Coach Liu when they could leave, but Coach Liu said expressionlessly, "I don't know!"
Do these guys think he really wants to stay here?
It turned out that the few people who were taken out were all involved with their families. For the officials and their residences in the capital that were searched, if they had exploited the people and committed corruption and abuse of power while in office, they would be executed if the circumstances were serious. As for their families, as long as they were innocent, they would not be implicated.
Before the students had time to think about anything, the midterm exams arrived. For a moment, everyone's attention was focused on the exams. After all, this was not only about face, but also about the quality of life here!
The top 40 students in each stage exam can have a separate meal in the cafeteria - the food prepared in the cafeteria's special kitchen is not served at other times. Ming Chengyu has always been first except for the first test, and has also eaten the special meal in the cafeteria countless times. His favorite is hot pot, followed by grilled skewers. The drink called milk tea is also delicious, with both milk and light tea fragrance. However, Ming Chengyu does not like sweet food, so he only tasted a few mouthfuls.
Every time he came back, An Yuliang would eagerly ask him what he had eaten and how it tasted, and then he would say that he would work hard to get into the top 40 next time.
Ming Chengyu thought to herself that An Yuliang usually seemed difficult to approach in the eyes of others, but who would have thought that he was quite passionate about food?
In addition, there are rewards for the top 20, which are some daily necessities, but because they are "rewards", they are given a different meaning.
Ming Chengyu also sold a brush he had obtained, which had the number "一" engraved on it, to Wang Mian.
Therefore, students in military academies must give their all in every stage exam. Even if there are those who don't care, they can't help but straighten their expressions when they see their companions around them reciting.
...
"I can definitely get into the top 40 this time." An Yuliang was confident. The dark circles under his eyes and the look of being drained of energy really scared the others.
Ming Chengyu asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"
Kong Yan also interjected, "Brother An, actually... everyone excels in different things. Just like you always rank first in physical education class, far surpassing Brother Ming!"
Ming Chengyu looked at him with amusement. To comfort An Yuliang, he actually used him as a raft?
"What's the point? There's no midterm exam for physical education class." An Yuliang said weakly, "My dad would never have thought that my clumsy hands and feet could actually hold such a thin brush."
The teaching assistants rang the gong to signal the students to go in. An Yuliang sighed and put down the book in his hand. Ming Chengyu patted his shoulder and said, "It will be fine. Don't worry."
However, after entering and getting the test paper, Ming Chengyu was surprised to find that this paper was completely different from usual ones!
First of all, the teaching assistant handed out two papers this time. One had questions he had seen before, and the other had only one question!
Other students also noticed it, and for a while there was a constant sound of shuffling papers in the examination room. The teaching assistant had to loudly remind them a few times before the students quieted down.
Ming Chengyu was very confident about the questions on the first paper. He knew famous quotes from famous writers by heart and had his own unique insights into the explanations. The second paper was difficult for him.
Ming Chengyu looked at the only question on the second paper—
What strategy should we adopt to deal with the Turks and the Rongdi people?
Ming Chengyu repeated this question in his mind many times. They were not completely ignorant of the outside world when they talked about it in the military academy. For example, Coach Liu told them about the invasion of the border of the Great Zhou by the Turks and Rongdi.
And he himself... he also knew that the emperor was pretending to be incompetent, purging the court, and changing the customs of the capital and even the Great Zhou Dynasty. The person behind the military academy was the emperor. The questions on the second paper did not seem like something a teacher could ask, so...
This question is too broad and is not one of those questions with fixed answers that you usually have. What kind of answer does the questioner want?
Ming Chengyu gradually calmed down, took a pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write.
...
The cafeteria was filled with gloom and despair after the stage exam.
An Yuliang's slightly rough face showed a bit of grievance, and Ming Chengyu placed a bowl of hot meatball soup in front of him.
"The cafeteria has specially provided meatball soup today. They said the meatballs today are firm and chewy." Ming Chengyu looked at An Yuliang and then at Kong Yan.
Kong Yan sighed, "This time the question is really unexpected. How can it be asked like this?"
After a while, he regained his strength, picked up the bowl and drank a few mouthfuls of soup, then his eyes widened: "Delicious! Fragrant!"
"I don't know what to write," An Yuliang said. "I want to write that we can no longer avoid it and that we should start a war, but I don't know what to write after that..."
He slapped his head and said regretfully, "During the exam, my mind was filled with the words of those great scholars and sages I had memorized. I can't possibly stand on the city wall and use the words of the great scholars and sages to confuse them and then catch them all in one fell swoop, can I?"
Kong Yan felt even more desperate after hearing his words: "Brother An, at least you can get some points. I...I wrote that war cannot be started."
"How can we not fight? Have you forgotten about Huangsha City?" An Yuliang said angrily.
Kong Yan said in a low voice: "I didn't know what happened at that time."
Ming Chengyu stopped the two from continuing, "I think there's no right or wrong answer to this exam question. What the teacher wants to see is your thoughts and abilities."
"Of course, my thoughts may not be correct. Anyway, the list will be announced in a few days, and we will know then."
...
"Your Majesty, please look at this scroll." In Wenyuan Pavilion, Lin Fu presented a piece of paper to Yan Xuanyu.
If students from military academies were here, they would find that these are their test papers!
Sitting in Wenyuan Pavilion again after a long time, Lin Fu felt as if he was in another world.
When he first came, he thought the ruler was a foolish monarch, but this monarch had deceived everyone...
Yan Xuanyu took it and the first thing he noticed was the neat handwriting. There were not many corrections on the entire paper, which looked pleasing to the eye. However, Yan Xuanyu paid more attention to the content, so he read it carefully.
After being here for a long time, he can already understand classical Chinese.
This person also advocates war, but after analyzing from various angles, he concluded that now is not a good time and that development should be prioritized. He also gave examples from several aspects.
Lin Fu said, "Your Majesty, this student's writing skills are a bit immature, but it is a good example for students in today's military academies."
Yan Xuanyu also felt that this person's views on some aspects were a bit idealistic, but there were many good points. In fact, he looked at a few more pictures. In short...what he said was all okay.
This gave Yan Xuanyu a surprise.
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