Chapter 224 Zhou Jijiu
Early spring.
It is chilly in spring.
It was just dawn and the sun had not yet risen, and the capital was still immersed in last night's dream.
Inside the martial arts hall of Qunxianfang, the tip of the knife emitted bursts of cold light, whistling and slashing through the cold air.
Zhou Gan, the chief martial arts officer, has maintained the habit of getting up early for many years and practices martial arts every morning.
After practicing, he wiped the sweat off his forehead, took a big sip of tea, and finally let out a long breath.
When he exhaled, there was a hint of a sigh.
He was originally the commander of Jingzhao Prefecture, and was transferred to the Wuxueguan as the chief priest at the beginning of last year.
The previous martial arts master retired and returned to his hometown. Before returning home, he told Zhou Gan meaningfully:
"Xiao Zhou, I know you also came from the Martial Arts School many years ago and you still have some affection for this place. But let me remind you, the Martial Arts School is different now than it was back then, and the old methods may not be effective anymore."
Zhou Gan laughed at the time: "The younger generation understands that we need to be more patient with the younger generation in the martial arts school."
After Zhou Gan was promoted from Captain Zhou to Chief Minister Zhou, he planned to show off his skills in the martial arts hall.
Most of these martial arts students will become military officers in the future. If they can be trained to be good talents, they will definitely strengthen Dayu's military strength in the future.
However, after a while, Zhou Jijiu realized that this was not a matter of patience at all.
He asked his students to come and practice early in the morning, but only two of the dozens of people showed up.
He asked his students to memorize the Art of War, but many of them even lost their books.
He had his students practice horseback riding and archery. They rode fast, but their arrows were nowhere near the target...
How could this be a martial arts academy? It was clearly a playboy's den of pleasure.
Zhou Jijiu was furious.
He angrily rebuked these unmotivated students: "You will all be wearing armor and commanding soldiers in the future. Even if you don't fight in the battlefield, you will still need to supervise your subordinates and manage supplies. But you are all so lazy, how can this be tolerated?!"
When Zhou Jijiu yelled, he felt like his lungs were about to explode.
When he was in the martial arts school decades ago, although there were some playboys, the overall situation was not so decadent, and there were still many people who studied seriously.
With the current chaotic situation, how can there be any motivation for improvement?
Zhou Jijiu was very angry, but the students below were calm.
Some people even scratched their ears and joked:
"Zhou Jijiu, don't get angry so easily. Anger is harmful to your health and makes you age faster. When you're done with your shift, come with us to Mingyan Tower to have a few drinks and listen to some music to cool off."
A few troublemakers followed suit:
"How are we lazy? Don't we come to the martial arts hall every day? We are giving face to Zhou Jijiu."
"Zhou Jijiu isn't a high-ranking official, but he does worry about a lot, but it's all for nothing, hahahaha..."
Except for a few students who kept their heads down and remained silent, everyone else burst into laughter.
Zhou Jijiu felt as if a ball of fire exploded in his lungs and rushed straight to his head, burning so hard that sparks were about to fly out of his eyes.
Besides being furious, there was a deep disappointment in his eyes.
He punished the group of unyielding students severely according to the rules.
The punishment was so severe that these disciples from aristocratic families went back and complained to their parents crying. Zhou Jijiu was reported several times in the court, accusing him of abusing students.
Zhou Jijiu was also stubborn. He submitted a memorial pointing out that some children from aristocratic families were setting a bad example in the martial arts academy and must be expelled from the academy.
After a lot of arguing between the two sides, Emperor Murong Yu finally said that in order to be fair, he asked Zhou Jijiu to expel those students who caused trouble from the martial arts school, but at the same time he also deducted Zhou Jijiu's salary on the grounds of improper supervision of martial arts.
After driving away a few troublemakers, the martial arts hall became a little quieter, but most of the remaining students still looked lazy.
Zhou Jijiu told these students that starting from this year, the martial arts school examinations would be more stringent, and it would be impossible for them to pass the examinations and obtain official positions.
Now the playboys knew Zhou Jijiu's temper, and no one joked with him anymore.
Many of them are playboys who only know how to enjoy themselves, but there are also some young men who understand the ways of the officialdom and have some brains, but they don't like to use them normally. Therefore, some people say:
"Since you took over, no one at the martial arts academy has passed the assessment. How many more years can you remain the chief priest? You might even be dismissed next year."
These words touched Zhou Jijiu's heart.
Zhou Jijiu himself knew that he had offended some people. If the martial arts school failed to cultivate any talents, he might be demoted to some remote corner next year.
Zhou Jijiu couldn't just sit there and wait for death, so he thought of a way.
He petitioned the emperor to increase the number of commoner students and to lower the age limit to ten years old.
He wanted to select truly talented students from the public, and start teaching them from a young age. Ten years old was considered an age when children were old enough to understand the rules and regulations.
The sun rose from behind the eaves, dispelling the chill.
Today is the first day of February, the first day of the enrollment competition.
After Zhou Jijiu let out a long sigh, he took another deep breath. He wanted to take charge personally and believed that he would be able to select good seedlings.
The admissions arena is located in the front yard of the martial arts hall.
Although it is called an arena, there is actually no stage. It is just a large open space in the front yard, with several flags used to mark the boundaries of the venue.
"Zhou Jijiu."
"Zhou Jijiu."
There were two people talking in the front yard. When they turned around and saw Zhou Jijiu coming, they immediately greeted him.
Zhou Jijiu nodded: "Master Lin, Doctor Xiong."
In addition to the chief priest, the martial arts school also has two teachers who teach military tactics, called doctors; and two instructors who teach martial arts, usually called coaches.
Instructor Lin, Dr. Xiong and Zhou Jijiu share the same idea and support Zhou Jijiu's drastic reforms in the martial arts hall. At the same time, they are also very concerned about recruiting new students.
Dr. Xiong: "Thanks to the memorial submitted by Zhou Jijiu, we can recruit more children from the public this year."
Disciples of officials of the fifth rank and above are exempt from examination and cannot be rejected, but they can select more good candidates from the public.
In the past, children of commoner origins would train very hard after entering a martial arts academy. Unfortunately, they would sometimes be bullied by other dandies.
So they not only have to recruit new students, but also protect these new students.
"Mr. Zhou, someone has come to take the exam, but the time has not come yet. He is waiting at the gatehouse now." A servant from the martial arts school came to report.
A hint of joy appeared on Zhou Jijiu's face:
"Good, someone's here early in the morning. It's a good sign. Let's go see if Qi Fang is ready."
As he was speaking, a boy who looked about fifteen years old came over:
"Master Zhou, the students are ready."
Zhou Jijiu selected a student from the martial arts school to compete with today's examinee.
There may be one or two rat droppings in a pot of good porridge, and there may be one or two grains of gold sand in a bucket of black water.
Qi Fang is the rare gold sand in this martial arts academy, and one of the very few people who studies seriously.
Zhou Jijiu took out a prepared wooden sword:
"You've worked hard today. Be careful not to hurt anyone."
Qi Fang took the wooden sword and said, "I'll remember this."
Dozens of notices were posted in Chang'an City, and the effect was very good. On the morning of the first day, a long line of people came to take the exam.
After all, he is exempt from tuition for three years and has food provided. After passing the examination of the martial arts academy, he can become an official. Even if the official position is low, it is better than that of ordinary people.
Naturally, many people want to try such a good thing.
The bright sunshine shines from the east.
The people queuing outside opened their eyes wide and saw the sunlight pour in the moment the door opened, paving a golden avenue.
At the end of the Golden Avenue, Zhou Jijiu, Instructor Lin, and Dr. Xiong sat behind a long table, ready for battle.
Zhou Jijiu cleared his throat and said, "Begin."
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