"Kid!"
Meng Ao strode into the Grand Commandant's mansion with a tiger-like gait, and as soon as he entered, he angrily shouted, "I bet you've only had a few days of peace and quiet, and you don't even know how many years you've lived?!"
Hearing the commotion, the wicked husband emerged from the room, gazing at Meng Ao as he stormed towards him. He chuckled, "Old man, who has offended you... why are you so angry?"
Meng Ao walked closer, rolled his eyes, and said irritably, "You, Grand Commandant, are raking in the money, completely disregarding the lives of us old folks!"
"explain!"
"The state of Zhao is barely clinging to life, why not attack it?"
At this point, he paused, his face darkening. "Have you... forgotten the humiliation Zhao inflicted on Qin... the humiliation Your Majesty suffered?"
The wicked man was taken aback at first, then laughed and cupped his hands towards Meng Ao, saying, "Old man, please don't be angry. How could I forget the various provocations that Zhao has made against Qin? But for now, sparing his life may not be a bad choice."
Meng Ao's face remained ashen as he roared, "I led the army for decades and fought countless battles against the Zhao state. They also used ruthless methods against my Qin soldiers, causing the deaths of countless fine young men! As the Grand Commandant, if you don't seize this opportunity to crush the Zhao state, what kind of Qin person are you?"
The wicked man stopped laughing and said seriously, "General, please hear me out. Destroying Zhao is easy, but our plans go beyond that. The Privy Council is still in the process of integration, and the new military equipment is also at a critical juncture."
"Moreover, the other side is sending us mines and annual tribute. With this scheme, I dare say it will be even more cruel than sword fighting. Besides, conquering a country is easy, but maintaining it is difficult. Who will govern such a vast territory?"
Meng Ao was momentarily speechless: "Mines, tribute? Hmph, kill them, and these things will still be ours, won't they? The entire court of civil and military officials can't even govern the Zhao Kingdom? Could it be... you're really afraid of that Li Mu?"
The wicked man shook his head slightly, his words full of calculation: "By using the method of 'annual tribute,' we can continuously wear down their national strength and military power. At that time, we can achieve this effortlessly without losing too many Qin troops."
"Even without the states of Han and Wei, the court officials were already extremely busy, let alone now that Qi and Yan have been brought under control, which is even more difficult than they are."
"Sometimes, taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble."
"We are both military generals. It is certainly enjoyable to fight and kill, but what happens after we bring them under our control? We can't just let them fight each other endlessly, causing the court a lot of trouble and effort, can we?"
Meng Ao's expression shifted between light and shadow, his brows furrowed. Although he was a military general, he understood that once an army conquered large swathes of new territory, it needed corresponding officials, laws, and funds to maintain order. Otherwise, it would descend into endless rebellions and attrition, ultimately jeopardizing the foundation of the Qin Dynasty.
He angrily flicked his sleeve and said in a deep voice, "If you eat the emperor's food, you should be loyal to him. Shouldn't you suffer a little and be tired? Sitting and giving orders is still better than us who are living on the edge!"
The wicked man smiled slightly, his expression not angry: "General, human strength has its limits. I have already thought of a solution to this matter, and we will wait patiently for some time."
"What method?" Meng Ao sneered. "You make it sound so easy, but solving the shortage of officials is not something that can be done overnight."
"Difficult...but not difficult!" The wicked man took a step closer unhurriedly, his expression sly. "Just hold an imperial examination, and each department can set the questions and select talents from the people."
He had planned this long ago. The problem of a shortage of government officials was already evident when Feng Jie, Meng Can and others complained about wanting to take a vacation.
The fundamental reason for not eliminating Zhao and Chu for the time being is this: we haven't even fully grasped the situation with Han and Wei yet, and now Qi and Yan have come along; we really can't handle it all.
The time available is neither too much nor too little. The First Emperor and I are not yet twenty years old. We must not be impatient for quick results and repeat the mistakes of the Second Emperor of Qin. We must unite the former people of the six states into one.
Meng Ao was slightly taken aback when he suddenly heard the words "imperial examination". As a veteran who had been on the battlefield for a long time, he was not an expert in the matter of "selecting officials", but he instinctively sensed the huge changes hidden in it.
"Reopen the imperial examination?" He subconsciously pondered these three words, then frowned and said, "Selecting talent from the common people and granting them official positions is not without precedent... but our Qin state has always distinguished between merit and demerit, and honors military merit and nobility. How can we easily change this system?"
Upon hearing this, the wicked man remained calm and composed, his expression quite confident: "This is precisely the new approach we have adopted after the unification of Qin. As our territory grows larger, the affairs of governance become more and more complex, far from sufficient to fill the gap in manpower for officials."
"The Qin Dynasty's military merit system trained a fierce and powerful army, but in prosperous times, this strategy would become a burden. It is not good to emphasize military affairs over civil affairs, nor is it good to emphasize civil affairs over military affairs. We should adopt a two-pronged approach to check and balance each other."
"Hmph, this is no small matter." Meng Ao frowned in thought, and finally said coldly, "Aren't you afraid that the old guys in the court will scold you for acting recklessly? After all, since the reforms of Duke Xiao and Lord Shang, military merit has been fundamental."
"Of course there are obstacles, but should we give up just because they are obstructing us?" the wicked man replied casually. "Moreover, the imperial examination does not undermine the system of military merit rewards and punishments, and it only addresses the shortage of civil officials in the court."
"Martial artists can use the military merit system to defy fate, and scholars should also open a path to heaven!"
Meng Ao only half understood what he was hearing, but he could vaguely sense that the "imperial examination" involved far more than just the simple "selection of officials," but rather a major reform and innovation.
After a long pause, he had no choice but to stop his words and said in a deep voice, "Enough. Such important political matters are not for me to interfere with. Do whatever you want. I will just keep an eye on Zhao... Once you have chosen your officials and prepared your escape routes, I will order the war as soon as possible."
The wicked man smiled when he heard that the general had relented: "Thank you for your understanding, General. Please be patient. Sharpening your axe won't delay your work. There will be many battles to come, but I'm afraid your health won't be able to withstand them!"
"What a joke! I can fight for another ten years without any problem!" Meng Ao revealed a confident look on his face and patted his chest.
"Then it's a deal." The wicked husband smiled and cupped his hands. "If we can hold out for another year or two, the shortage of officials will be temporarily alleviated. At that time, you can lead your troops wherever you want to fight!"
Meng Ao nodded in satisfaction, then, remembering something, reminded him in a deep voice, "By the way, you must be careful. Reform is no small matter. Don't let those powerful families take advantage of any loopholes—this world is full of people skilled in intrigue and scheming."
"Don't worry, General," the wicked man replied confidently. "This is only a temporary measure. We'll temporarily allocate some people to maintain the operation of the court. Once everything is in order, we'll have a backup plan to solve these problems."
In this day and age, those who can read and write are all from powerful or wealthy families. Even the wicked man knows that holding the imperial examination at this time may mark the beginning of the rise of aristocratic families, but it is a helpless move.
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