Chapter 838 A Dream of Youth 370
Yan Xi had discussed the issue of redundant officials with Xie Ning. Reforms had been carried out during the reign of Yan Xi's grandfather, but ultimately failed.
The promotion system for officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty was far too broad.
Civil officials are promoted every three years, and military officials every five years. As long as they do not make any mistakes during this period, they can be promoted one rank. In other words, the criteria for promotion are not based on which official is more outstanding, but on who makes fewer mistakes.
As a result, no one dared to make mistakes; they sought no merit but only to avoid wrongdoing, creating a very Buddhist atmosphere in officialdom.
In Yanxi's eyes, inaction is also a mistake. The previous reform of the assessment system was quite good, as it incorporated the mistake of inaction. Yanxi plans to continue this assessment policy.
Then he asked Prime Minister Xia to come up with a plan to solve the problem of redundant officials and staff.
It wasn't just the reform of the assessment and promotion system; there was also the rampant practice of hereditary privilege. Other scholars might study desperately for ten years and still not be able to pass the imperial examination, and even if they did, they might not be able to become officials.
Because of the hereditary privilege system, some high-ranking officials could grant privileges to one of their sons or nephews almost every year. It could be said that as long as one family produced an official, they could produce a dozen or twenty second-generation officials.
The problem of redundant officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty became increasingly serious, largely due to this.
However, this kind of system is the most difficult to change because it will affect the interests of many interest groups. Yan Xi's position is not yet secure, so she talks to Xia Xiang in private in the small study.
After the court meeting concluded, the imperial decree to grant amnesty to the rebels, including Chen Xin, was swiftly sent to Sichuan.
With the Zhou dynasty pursuing and suppressing him while simultaneously offering amnesty, Chen Xin finally agreed to the amnesty. However, he also made another request: that his rebel army be reinstated and organized into a regular army.
Only then would he agree to quell the rebellion together.
In this way, he would have a large army at his disposal, and others would not be able to easily do anything to him.
On the other side, Xie Ning, who was in charge of the distribution of military equipment, also received a military report and learned that Chen Xin had been recruited by the government.
She had met this infantry commander and greatly admired his abilities. Xu Hongying had even consulted him about the formation of the army. She never expected that such a person would betray her.
Hearing that the other party had been appeased, Xie Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
In that case, she could concentrate on planning the route of the advance.
The army led by Xu Hongying attacked very quickly. In particular, with the help of Xie Ning's gunpowder, the fortified villages were intimidated. In addition, with the persuasion of Zhu Xueyi, many of them accepted the offer of amnesty.
Then Xu Hongying organized the surrendered troops into the Yi army and sent them to quell the rebellion.
However, Luzhou was a city that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Seeing that the rebellions in the surrounding area had been quelled, Li Yu directly besieged the city from multiple directions. In the spring of the following year, he finally wiped out Yu Tongzhi's army and the remnants of the rebel army.
The scene inside Luzhou was beyond description; under siege, there were no supplies to replenish the city...
Xie Ning felt no joy whatsoever; she disliked war in the slightest.
"Thank you, sir. Commander Li invites you to a victory celebration banquet." Having finally quelled the rebellion, both generals and soldiers need to relax.
For generals, a victory banquet is the best way to relax. They can drink and make merry. Of course, this banquet also has another meaning: to communicate with the powerful and wealthy people in Luzhou City so as to carry out initial management more quickly.
Xie Ning nodded, finished writing the memorial, and then changed into his official robes to attend the banquet.
She didn't need to come to this battle. As the Junior Supervisor, she could have sent her subordinates to record the events and then compiled and organized the information herself in the capital.
Yan Xi was worried about Li Yu, so she sent Xie Ning to serve as the military supervisor.
Xie Ning not only held the power to distribute military equipment, but also took on the responsibility of supervision, which made Li Yu somewhat hesitant, and ultimately he did not go too far.
But that was only what he thought was not excessive.
Xie Ning recalled the complaints his subordinates had made. It was one thing for Li Yu to be arrogant, but his subordinates were also domineering and unruly, allowing their soldiers to plunder money and commit rape.
Xu Hongying's army also exhibited this phenomenon at the beginning: if they were not discovered, it was fine, but once discovered, they were beaten to death with sticks.
As a fierce general under Xu Hongying, Chu Xu's methods were even more ruthless. Once military discipline was violated, he would be punished in front of the entire army, and it was not just a matter of beating with a military stick.
With increased deterrence, soldiers dare not violate the rules, and military discipline becomes strict.
Lax or unclear military discipline is a major taboo.
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