Chapter 349 The old guy will be sent to Luoyang even if he wins the championship
The outcome of the debate contest was no surprise.

Confucian Zheng Xuan won the championship, but the runner-up was surprisingly Xun Yue, and the third place was not surprising, the Confucian Kong Rong, and Pang Tong was also good in fourth place.

The first three were all old guys. Zheng Xuan was about to be buried at the age of seventy-five, Xun Yue was fifty-two, and Kong Rong was forty-eight and half buried.

Pang Tong stands out extremely well. Zhuge Liang, who was also young and unfortunately defeated by Pang Tong, was equally eye-catching. After all, Zhuge Liang was not good at Mohism or Legalism, but Confucianism.

There is nothing to be proud of about Pang Tong defeating Zhuge Liang in the field of Legalism, which he was good at. The fact that Zhuge Liang lost to Pang Tong by only one vote is enough to show his strength.

For this reason, many students were dissatisfied with the result of Zhuge Liang's top 16 and wanted to rearrange it.

Jinmao did not arrange a rematch, but instead arranged an honorary debate, selecting four people from the students and failed contestants to debate with the top four, with no limit on the topic.

As expected, Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi and Erheng were on the list, but it was beyond Jinmao's expectations that Lu Xun was also selected.

One look at the rankings, top eight!

That's fine.

It’s just that Jin Mao always focused his attention on Pang Tong and didn’t notice Lu Xun who was eliminated by Xun Yue in the quarterfinals.

I thought Zhuge Liang would definitely make a splash this time, after all, his opponent was the champion Zheng Xuan. But Zhuge Liang asked many questions like a student.

But Jin Mao was disgusted, so he specially arranged for Zhuge Liang to fight against Zheng Xuan, but this happened. It was so disgusting.

Not only that, Sima Yi, Er Heng, Xun Yue and Kong Rong were just like good friends, chatting about everything under the sun, but the conversation was nowhere near as intense as during the main competition.

On the contrary, the debate between Lu Xun and Pang Tong was the most intense.

In the end, Lu Xun lost because of his school age. If the two were the same age, the outcome would be unknown.

At this point, Jin Mao was very satisfied with the performance of Lu Xun and Pang Tong and decided to train them well.

However, Lu Xun unexpectedly proposed to go to Luoyang to study.

Jin Mao already knew about the sworn brotherhood between Liu Xie, Lu Xun and Jin Lin. He did not expect that Lu Xun would stick with Liu Xie and go to help him when he was in the most difficult time.

Jin Mao was very disappointed that Lu Xun did not leave the city to see him off on the day he left.

"My lord, the young master must have his own plans."

On the top of Wancheng City, Pang Tong, wearing a black civil servant uniform, advised Jin Mao: "Your Majesty is isolated and helpless in Luoyang. It is better to have you by your side than to fight alone."

Jin Mao turned his head to look at Pang Tong, who looked back at him without fear.

"What do you want to say?" Jin Mao asked, "Or, what do you know?"

Lu Xun seemed to know that Jin Mao was very angry, so he didn't dare to say a word and left in a hurry. Maybe he said something to Pang Tong. After all, the two of them had become good friends who could talk about anything since the last debate.

"My lord." Pang Tong bowed his head and saluted, "The young master does have something for me to tell you."

"Go ahead." Jin Mao stared at the convoy heading north. After so many years, he still didn't understand the thinking of the literati of this era.

"Yes." Pang Tong bowed again, then looked into the distance with great admiration, and said: "Sir, the world has been returned to the lord, so can't there be room for an emperor without relatives or friends?"

"Definitely not!"

Pang Tong bowed to Jin Mao again and said, "My lord's actions are of far-reaching significance. Perhaps no one understood them before, but now those who understand them all admire them."

Jin Mao's face was full of surprise. I have killed so many nobles and powerful people, and now the world is in my hands. Now there are great scholars who start to debate for me?
Pang Tong seemed to see through Jin Mao's thoughts and nodded affirmatively: "The current Majesty should be one of them. He respects and admires you very much and regards you as his last relative."

Jin Mao nodded. Everything Liu Xie did was under his eyes. If he was not the emperor, Jin Mao would have adopted him as his adopted son and trained him carefully like Lu Xun did. This was also a good seedling, what a pity.

Pang Tong seemed to be inspired and said, "My lord, you put the people first and the country first, and you don't care about them. You have the spirit of Yao and Shun. You should be a wise ruler and a wise ruler in this world!"

Jin Mao smiled slightly, his eyes showing both relief and depth. He shook his head gently and said, "Shi Yuan, you flatter me. Although I have a heart for good and strive to govern the world, I know that the road to becoming an emperor cannot be achieved by one person alone, let alone overnight. This world belongs to the people, and it is a homeland that scholars and generals jointly protect. All I can do is to try my best to guide it, so that this big ship can move forward more steadily in the wind and rain."

"As for the spirit of Yao and Shun, that is the model of the ancient saints. Although we cannot reach that level, we aspire to it. What we need to do is to find a path that suits us in this chaotic world, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and the country can prosper. This is not only my responsibility, but also the responsibility of each and every one of you."

At this point, Jin Mao's eyes swept over everyone present, including Pang Tong, who could feel the weight and expectation in his words. He continued, "Shi Yuan, you are extremely intelligent and are my indispensable right-hand man. I hope you can continue to use your talents, not only to give me advice, but also to seek the welfare of the people of this world. Remember, a true wise man must not only be able to see through the current situation, but also have a heart of compassion for the world."

Pang Tong felt a warm current in his heart when he heard this. He knew Jin Mao's expectations and trust very well. He bowed and said, "My lord, rest assured. I will do my best to live up to your trust. I am willing to sacrifice my life for you and for the world, and I will do anything for you!"

Jin Mao nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Those people still won't give in recently?"

Although Jinmao has promised that the champion of the debate competition will be entitled to a different number of proposed examination topics, they are not the type that require a long essay on each topic.

Therefore, every question setter is required to simplify the questions. Otherwise, if the questions are not too shocking, Jinmao would like to create multiple-choice questions and fill-in-the-blank questions that are similar to those of future generations.

Otherwise, an exam would be a protracted process, with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of students. Not to mention the cost, how many examiners would be needed to mark the papers?

These are all money and food!

However, the old scholars led by Zheng Xuan were very stubborn and refused to lower the standards, insisting that they should follow the ancient standards.

Come on Nima!
It has been ten days since the competition ended, but there is still no news about the test questions. Jinmao is very worried about this.

Pang Tong nodded and said, "Several famous scholars have not given in." "Fuck famous scholars!" Jin Mao couldn't help but swear, "I wish I could chop all these famous scholars to pieces!"

“It’s so fucking infuriating!”

The personal soldiers and counselors who accompanied him were all Jin Mao's confidants. They hadn't heard Jin Mao cursing for a long time, so they couldn't help laughing when they heard it suddenly. But then they realized that the situation was different now, so they immediately held it back. However, it was so uncomfortable to hold back the laughter.

"Laugh if you want to." Jin Mao squinted and said, "There are no outsiders here."

"Hahaha!" Suddenly, there was laughter on the city wall.

Pang Tong was confused. Is killing famous people so funny?
"Shi Yuan, I don't want to see these old guys. Find a way to get rid of them."

Pang Tong said without hesitation: "Your Majesty has no one to use in Luoyang, so it is a good opportunity to let the great scholars come to the capital to select candidates."

"At the same time, my lord can announce this matter to the world and let "people with high aspirations" come to Beijing to take the exam. Those who come into contact with them can serve as officials in Luoyang."

Jin Mao tilted his head and looked at Pang Tong with squinted eyes. This guy is ugly and has a dirty heart. He can even come up with such a crooked trick. Isn't he afraid of being hated by everyone?

However, Jinmao likes Pang Tong like this, he is not pretentious, unlike Zhuge Liang, who has an idol burden and they cannot pee in the same pot.

Jin Mao raised a playful smile and patted Pang Tong's shoulder with a little approval: "Shi Yuan, your brain is faster than the windmill outside Luoyang City. This method not only solves the current troubles, but also adds some vitality to our Luoyang City. It can also bring together the world's talents to serve Your Majesty. It kills two birds with one stone. It's wonderful!"

There is a lot of sarcasm in the tone.

"Pass on my order. Draft an imperial edict immediately and announce to the world that Luoyang will hold a grand selection meeting. No matter your family background, as long as you have real talent and knowledge, you can come to take the exam. Your Majesty must personally select and add more pillars of talent to the Han Dynasty!"

Few people outside knew about the blockade of Luoyang, and anyone who was still loyal to the Han Dynasty would rush there.

By then, Luoyang's population will have increased and there will be fewer unstable factors outside. Jinmao will take this opportunity to let go and do a great job.

It is not a good idea to keep the North in chaos. Following the old tradition of Jiangnan, Jin Mao still thinks that a two-pronged approach of civil and military means will be faster and more effective.

There is no need to reason with the diehards; it is easier and less troublesome to purge them.

The submissive faction has long known what to do. Once all the diehards are dead, the fence-sitters will know what to do. In the end, by boiling the frog in warm water, most of the instability will be eliminated, and the world will truly enter a brief period of peace.

"Shi Yuan, do you have anything else to add?"

Facing Jin Mao's question, Pang Tong said: "Since the old guys are not here, my lord should decide the topic of the Hebei imperial examination."

"Oh, yes!" Jin Mao patted his forehead and asked, "Does Shi Yuan have any ideas?"

Pang Tong was a rookie, and he ignored the unhappy expressions of other counselors and said bluntly: "I see that the students in the school run by the lord are learning a lot of things, but they are divided into different categories, which gave me some ideas."

"But it doesn't matter."

Pang Tong bowed and said, "In ancient times, Confucius taught students according to their aptitude. Now my lord teaches everyone. Why not divide the candidates into two groups?"

"One type focuses on classics and examines students' years of accumulation, while the other type focuses on miscellaneous studies and selects students with a particular skill."

Jin Mao pointed his finger at Pang Tong and said, "Well said! Keep going!"

Isn’t this the difference between technical school students and regular high school students in later generations?

Pang Tong was praised, so he said in detail what he was thinking: "My lord, I think that classics are the foundation of our Chinese culture. In-depth study of them can cultivate students' moral sentiments and talents in governing the country. This part of the candidates should take the Four Books and Five Classics as the basis, supplemented by history, literature, philosophy and other subjects, in order to cultivate talents who can inherit and develop our Chinese culture and have profound academic background and noble moral character. In the future, they will be important officials of the country and pillars of the country."

"As for miscellaneous studies, it is all-encompassing, covering mathematics, agriculture, engineering, medicine, astronomy, geography and other practical skills. Candidates in this category do not need to stick to traditional classics, but should focus on practice and innovation, encourage them to specialize in one skill and become elites in all walks of life. In this way, we can meet the needs of national construction, promote people's well-being, and achieve harmonious coexistence of talents and society."

"Furthermore, the lord can set up scholarships and reward mechanisms to commend and subsidize those with outstanding performance, so as to encourage students to study diligently and pursue excellence. At the same time, schools can also hold academic exchanges and skill competitions regularly to promote mutual learning and inspiration between students in different fields, and jointly promote the advancement of knowledge and technology."

"In addition, I also suggest that the school should strengthen its connections and cooperation with the outside world, invite experts from all walks of life to give lectures at the school, and broaden the students' horizons; at the same time, students should be encouraged to go out of school, participate in social practice, apply what they have learned to reality, and truly achieve learning for application and unity of knowledge and practice."

After hearing this, Jin Mao's eyes flashed with admiration, and he said, "Shi Yuan's plan is far-sighted. Who do you think should set the test questions?"

Pang Tong patted his horse and said, "My lord is a man of foresight. He has already ordered all the generals and dukes to come up with propositions. You just need to classify these propositions into two categories."

Jin Mao smiled and nodded when he heard this, saying, "Shi Yuan is right. I do have this idea. The generals have been on the battlefield for a long time, so their questions can be close to actual combat, allowing students to feel the tension and strategy of the battlefield on paper; and the princes are knowledgeable and familiar with government affairs, so their test questions can guide students to think about deep-seated issues such as national governance and the welfare of the people. In this way, students can not only exercise their martial arts and strategies, but also cultivate their ability to govern the country."

He paused for a moment, his eyes becoming more profound, and continued, "However, I still have a concern. Relying solely on the questions of generals and princes, although it can be comprehensive, it may lack some novel and unique insights. Shi Yuan, do you have a clever idea to introduce more diverse voices to make the test questions more colorful and stimulate students' innovative thinking?"

Pang Tong thought for a moment, then bowed and replied, "My Lord, your concern is very true. I think that in addition to the questions set by the generals and the princes, we can also set up a special session to invite the 30,000 outstanding students and teachers from various colleges to participate, and even invite craftsmen and doctors to set questions."

After hearing this, Jin Mao clapped his hands and exclaimed: "Great! Shi Yuan's plan is really the finishing touch. In this way, the examination of our school will surely become a grand event that gathers the wisdom of the world and inspires future stars. Immediately pass the order down and start preparations to ensure that this examination is a complete success and select more pillars for our dynasty!"

Pang Tong bowed and accepted the order, secretly thinking about the next specific arrangements in his mind, his eyes flashing with anticipation and confidence for the new chapter that was about to unfold.

Jinmao was also very satisfied. What was originally just an examination to regulate Hebei Province could now not only achieve its original purpose, but also select useful talents and try to implement the imperial examination system.

Kill three birds with one stone!
Afterwards, Jin Mao watched Pang Tong walk away with his head held high, and could not help but sigh: "Phoenix Cub is indeed a Phoenix Cub, and he is indeed extraordinary. It's a pity that I don't know what Wolong Kongming is thinking, and he actually hesitated."

However, Pang Tong has risen to prominence. Although he has won Jin Mao's favor this time, he has offended a number of advisers. His interpersonal relationships in the future may not be good.

(End of this chapter)