Chapter 373 Wei Qing
Liu Che issued his first edict to the whole world, which was about seeking talents. The Han Dynasty now implemented the system of recommendation, in which officials were recommended by kings, princes and ministers and directly served in the government. Another system was to select people with moral character from various counties and kingdoms and enter the Imperial Academy as a reserve of officials. The emperor might select people from here to serve in the government at any time.
This means "selecting outstanding and noble people to govern the country", that is, "selecting scholars, recommending filial and honest people, valuing loyalty and righteousness, and promoting benevolence", which is an improved version of the recommendation system.
It is certainly not as fair and advanced as the imperial examination system of later generations, but in this era, it is a very advanced system.
Its advancement lies in the fact that it has a system for judging talents, and this system includes moral evaluation. Rockefeller was somewhat dissatisfied with the idea of promoting people based on merit.
This kind of thinking started with Ji Zhao. People nowadays always think that they have seen moral corruption, but Ji Zhao has seen more. If a world is not constrained by morality and law, it will be a chaotic world. The most terrifying thing was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, which was simply hell on earth.
If a country has no morality but only legal system, there will be countless people who exploit legal loopholes, and then say righteously that this is legal and I am a law-abiding citizen.
The deeper we go into society, the more we discover the importance of morality.
Why should moral governance be the main focus and legal governance be supplementary? Because the rule of law only provides a bottom line. The prosperity and positive construction of a society are based on moral governance.
Or it can be said that if the law does not protect the smooth implementation of morality, then the law should be changed.
Talented people can be found everywhere in this world, even in the mountains and countryside, but people with noble character are hard to find.
The less moral character a person has, the more talented he is, the more terrifying he is. A man without moral character can only kill one person, but a talented person without moral character can harm the world. No matter how talented he is, a person without moral character should not be allowed to enter officialdom. This has been the principle of Luo Xin's governance in recent years.
"I have heard:
Since ancient times, there has been no country that did not attach importance to military affairs that has not perished, no country that did not attach importance to generals that has not weakened, and no country that did not attach importance to soldiers that has not had a disintegrated army.
The Han Dynasty has experienced the period of recuperation and development under Emperor Gao, Emperor Xiaohui, and Emperor Xiaowen. It has been peaceful for decades now, and the prosperity of the Central Plains has surpassed any previous era.
Seeing that everyone was immersed in it, I thought that the war was completely gone and no one could challenge the Han Dynasty anymore.
I am very worried about this.
Can the mighty military horses that founded the country in the past still wield swords?
The world has not yet calmed down. There are still countless Hu people in the north of the Han Dynasty, countless barbarians in the south of the Han Dynasty, and an endless stream of Qiang and Rong in the west, as well as the former Donghu land and the peninsula.
Isn’t there a hidden crisis beneath this prosperous era?
I heard that hundreds of years ago in the Song State, there was a rich man who exchanged all his money for grain in preparation for the New Year, preparing to make a fortune. His neighbor saw him and advised him, "You are already very rich, why do you want to make so much money? You should buy swords now to protect your money. If you buy all the grain now, robbers will come to rob you later. Will you use the grain to fight the robbers at that time?" The rich man did not listen. Later, the robbers really came to rob him. The rich man then said: "Master robber, this is the grain prepared for you." The robber killed him.
Be vigilant.
I want to open up a large existence in the royal gardens outside Chang'an, adopt the orphans of soldiers who died for the country, and select the best descendants among them to form my imperial guards, so that soldiers all over the world can see that the emperor of the Han Dynasty has not forgotten their contributions and merits. I want to eliminate the worries of all soldiers who fought in bloody battles.
I also thought that the selection of generals should not only select those with literary talent, but also soldiers from the ranks, as long as they have talent, they should also be recommended. How many commanders with natural talent like Han Wumu are there in this world?"
The rumor caused by Liu Che's order was quite big, because in this era, although civil officials were not valued more highly than military officials, and even military officials were superior to civil officials to some extent, after all, generals can become prime ministers, but most of the generals had a family background in learning, which had been passed down for at least two or three generations.
People like Han Xin are really rare and are not human.
Now that Liu Che wants to promote some people of low status, it will naturally attract attention. This is why Liu Che had to inform Luo Jing in advance.
…
Accompanied by a gust of wind, in this rather dry season, the city and outside the city are always filled with layers of loose soil. The biting cold wind from the north is like a knife. With a gentle blow, it blows off a layer of the rammed earth wall, and then floats everywhere, and then falls on the faces of the soldiers guarding the wall, making a "Puh, Puh, Puh" sound. After complaining a few words, they continue to stand guard on duty, not daring to slack off.
Because this is one of the most important cities in the vast territory of the Han Dynasty. It is the only way from Hetao to Chang'an, guarding the emperor's safety. Behind them is the prosperous Central Plains, and in front of them are the Hu people. The Xiongnu tribes try to move south from time to time, but they seem to be worried about something, and they are always small groups of people and do not pose any threat.
At the foot of the city wall, the newly replaced soldiers were listening to the stories passed down from generation to generation by the veterans. "It is said that several decades ago, when the Han Dynasty was just established and Emperor Gao was in power, the Han Dynasty was not as strong as it is now, but the Xiongnu was particularly powerful and even wanted to enter the Central Plains.
It is said that King Su had just woken up from a deep sleep at that time, so he brought down divine punishment and sent Lord Zhaogong to make a heavy snowfall on the grassland occupied by the Huns, and then the border was peaceful for thirty years.
Lord Zhaogong said that the King Su has fallen into a deep sleep again, and it is unknown when he will wake up next time. Alas, I don’t know if I can see the King Su’s spirit in this lifetime, so that I can die without regrets.”
Everyone felt a little regretful after hearing this. One soldier shouted, "Let alone seeing the Su Wang's spirit, I would be satisfied if I could go to Zhaocheng and see Lord Zhao. Lord Zhao is the Lord of the Four Seasons and the only living god in the world."
As soon as he said this, everyone's minds were opened up, and they shouted and laughed, "It is said that if you become a high-ranking official in the court, you can get something called something. It is said that this thing will be presented to the Su King for his review in the future. Does this count as meeting the Su King?"
Everyone asked at once: "A high-ranking official in the court? Our general should be considered a high-ranking official, how can he get this title?"
"cannot."
Suddenly a voice came from the outermost part of the crowd. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was a new recruit who had just arrived. He looked very heroic, with bright eyes and a hint of humility. He was very handsome. If the dirt on his face was removed, he would definitely be a handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes.
These people all knew him. His name was Wei Qing. It was said that a powerful person in Chang'an City had committed a crime and he was a slave in that powerful person's mansion. That powerful person was executed and everyone in the mansion was exiled. He had no crime and did not have to go to Lingnan, so he was exiled here. Such a person who committed a crime and was exiled to the border could be said to be the person with the least future in the army.
However, the soldiers did not care about this. They thought that this new soldier came from Chang'an after all, so he should know a lot of things. So they gathered around him and said with a smile: "Wei Qing, you are from Chang'an, so you must be knowledgeable. Tell us about it."
Wei Qing smiled slightly. He certainly didn't speak to show off, but to blend in and increase his chances of survival in the future. "Ministers of the court will receive posthumous titles after their death. This was created by the old King Su a thousand years ago and has been used for a thousand years."
“Wow!”
Although the crowd didn't quite understand what was said, but a thousand years sounded very impressive, and it was created by the old man Su Wang, which made it even more impressive.
"The posthumous title can be used not only for praise, but also for scolding. If someone scolds you and it is reported to King Su, it will not bring honor to the family, but will bring disgrace to the family.
As for who can get a posthumous title, that person must be a high-ranking official. Princes and marquises can all get a posthumous title. If one does not have the title of a prince or marquis, then he must be a real high-ranking official. Even high-ranking officials such as county governors cannot be qualified. One must be one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers to be qualified."
After Wei Qing said this, everyone dispersed in disappointment. Only kings, dukes and ministers could get it, so how could it be possible? These people had never been to school and could never become high officials.
Seeing this, Wei Qing said, "Don't despair, everyone. As long as you fight bravely on the battlefield and are appreciated by the nobles, you may be able to enter the government through the imperial examination. When Wei Qing left Chang'an, he heard the current emperor say that the imperial examination should not only select scholars, but also choose from among us.
Moreover, His Majesty also said that the country should treat the children of meritorious officials and martyrs well. His Majesty has opened up a large area in the royal garden. If any soldiers die on the battlefield, His Majesty will adopt their orphans. Today is the day to bring honor to the family. "
Wei Qing's words shocked everyone. In fact, Liu Che's orders had never reached the ears of these lowest-level soldiers. Until these people died on the battlefield, they probably didn't know what their death would bring.
But now Wei Qing told them, which made everyone excited, and suddenly they felt that there was hope in life.
"Your Majesty, God's grace!"
One person cheered, and everyone cheered. They surrounded Wei Qing and laughed, grateful for the news he brought.
“Boom boom boom!”
A group of people were laughing when suddenly the gongs and drums on the city wall sounded. Looking from afar, they could see a faint beacon fire burning in the distance.
Everyone was shocked.
A piercing voice sounded, followed by a loud roar, "Enemy attack! The Huns are coming!"
As the sound rang out, the whole city seemed to move in an instant, and Wei Qing felt his heart pounding.
Han Baiwei Huo
(End of this chapter)
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