Chapter 5008: The Interests of the Gentry

Chapter 5008: The Interests of the Gentry
Liu Li had long coveted Yuwen Jie.

Before Fang Jun's sudden rise, Yuwen Jie was definitely the best among the younger generation. With his own ability and the support of his family, he was once promoted to the high position of Shangshu Zuocheng, and was like an important official in the central government. Even though he was implicated in the rebellion of Zhangsun Wuji, he was able to show his talents in a very short time after he was reappointed as the magistrate of Chang'an County. He cleared up all the malpractices in the county government, making the government clean and honest, and the people praised him.

The Secretariat needs such talents.

Having been repeatedly suppressed by the military in the past two years, Liu Li reflected deeply and discovered that the reason why the civil servants were no match for the military was the difference in quality between the two sides themselves.

Since when, those officials who were both civil and military and worked diligently at the founding of the country gradually died out, and were replaced by a large number of children from aristocratic families. These playboys filled the court, relied on their backgrounds to do whatever they wanted, colluded with each other to commit corruption and lawlessness, and the court was in a mess.

To this day, there are many people in the court who are boastful and always talk about profit. These people are extremely good at intrigue and fighting for power, but they either ignore government affairs or are unable to handle them. There is a severe lack of officials who are proficient in general affairs.

On the other hand, the military has been at war since the founding of the country. At first, the empire was prepared to prevent the invasion of the Turkic invaders. Hundreds of thousands of troops and dozens of famous generals were all elite. After the Turkic, Tuyuhun, Xueyantuo and other foreign threats were defeated, the Western Regions and the Arabs were attacked. In addition, the navy rose and traveled across the oceans. The Tang soldiers were invincible in foreign lands.

Countless battles and constantly tense nerves enabled the Tang army to always remain positive, just like a piece of iron that was tempered in fire again and again, removing impurities and uniting closely, eventually becoming an unmatched, invincible blade.

The contrast between the civil and military forces is like that of heaven and earth. As one declines, the other rises. If this continues, not only will the civil servants be unable to compete with the military, but the civil servants will be idle and fight for power, which will inevitably lead to chaos in the empire's administration and rampant corruption, and completely shake the foundation of the country.

*****
The imperial examination replaced all previous modes of selecting officials, which was tantamount to a disaster for aristocratic families. In the past, family members could become officials simply by recommendation, but now they had to take exams and the survival of the fittest was the only way out. Everything had to be put on the table and decided by performance, which was really unbearable.

However, from the end of the Zhenguan period until Your Majesty ascended the throne, in just a few years, the aristocratic families suffered an unbearable blow. Continuous mutinies almost wiped out the soldiers and soldiers they had raised. The land that had been accumulated over hundreds of years was greatly reduced by land measurement. The industry that could support the future generations to enjoy endless food and entertainment was almost cut in half. The huge sea trade that brought great benefits was also tightly controlled by the court...

Since the day of its birth, the aristocratic families have never been so weak.

Therefore, although it was known that the imperial examination would upend the privileges that had been passed down for hundreds of years, no one dared to openly resist the central government and could only endure, lurk, and wait for an opportunity.

……

The beautiful land in the south of the Yangtze River, the imperial state of Jinling.

The name of Jinling has existed since ancient times. When the north was in decline and the people moved south, the orthodox Chinese migrated here. The Southern Dynasty established its capital in Jiankang, and the Sui and Tang dynasties established a prefecture in Jiangning. With Shicheng like a dragon and Zhongshan like a tiger, it can be regarded as the heart of Han culture.

Aristocratic families migrated south and settled here, gradually spreading their influence throughout the south of the Yangtze River over hundreds of years, making it difficult for them to compete with the imperial power in the north and integrate with it. Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, they have naturally been suppressed and degraded by the central government, and their political status has plummeted.

However, even so, with its geographical advantages and strong culture, Jinling is still the core of Jiangnan and one of the few famous cities in the world that can rival Chang'an.

The city walls are majestic and the Health Palace is shrouded in the misty spring rain.

At that time, Jinling was just a county under the jurisdiction of Runzhou, but because of its status as a cultural and economic center, the state's provincial examinations were still held here.

The Jiankang Palace was the imperial palace of the Six Dynasties, also known as "Taicheng". It had grand buildings and numerous houses, and the examination hall for the imperial examinations was located here.

The rain was drizzling, and teams of soldiers were controlling the city gates and patrolling the streets. The atmosphere in the whole city was solemn and the alert was strict.

Inside the Zhuming Gate is the official residence of the Secretariat of the Six Dynasties. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, the window frames are old and the eaves are mottled, but the decoration inside the house is very clean.

Xiao Yu was kneeling inside the house, with a coffee table and a pot of tea in front of him. Through the open window, green bamboo leaves could be seen. The gate of Zhuming Gate was faintly visible in the mist and rain. The cracks in the steps in front of the house were covered with moss. Under the eaves, a magnolia tree stretched its branches and its buds began to bloom in the spring breeze and slanting rain.

It is drizzling, and spring is in full swing.

Xiao Yu personally held the kettle and filled the teacup with tea. He smiled and gestured to the middle-aged man sitting across the tea table, "This is the good tea before the spring rain. It was delivered to the mansion via the waterway yesterday. General Gao, please enjoy it."

The middle-aged man was Gao Kan. Hearing this, he bowed slightly, took the teacup with both hands, and said modestly, "How dare I be served tea by the Duke of Song himself? I am terrified."

Xiao Yu was dressed in an indigo robe, with white beard and eyebrows, and looked energetic. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Today, I am just an old man in the fields, but the general is in his prime and holds military power. Why do you belittle yourself like this?"

Gao Kan was dressed in cloth, with a sword on his waist. His square face looked indifferent, and he sat upright with his clothes straightened, looking quite majestic and dignified.

"Duke Song is the one who underestimates himself. Lanling Xiao family is the leader of the aristocratic families in Jiangnan. You have made great contributions to the country and have a great reputation. You are a man who commands respect in Jiangnan. I am just a warrior and I need your help. I dare not be rude to you."

Xiao Yu knew that the other party invited him to meet during the imperial examination, and that he must have something important to discuss, but he drank his tea slowly and did not express his opinion.

I feel very sad.

Who would have thought that he was just a small soldier in Youtunwei in the past, but over the years he has made many military achievements and risen rapidly. Today, he is not only one of the Sixteen Generals of the Guards, but also leads his troops to garrison Nanjing and intimidate the south of the Yangtze River, becoming a veritable "Southern King"?
Fang Jun's ability to identify and employ people is simply amazing and jaw-dropping...

After a pause, he slowly asked, "Today is the imperial examination, the whole city is watching, and the general is in charge of martial law, why did you come to me to drink tea?"

Gao Kan was not good at speaking, so he didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "The Jiangnan area is a land of outstanding people, rich resources and abundant people. It is also a gathering place of literary talent and Confucianism. This imperial examination has gathered many children from aristocratic families, and it should be a great success and shock the world. If someone is short-sighted and has bad intentions, and causes the imperial examination to fail to proceed smoothly, it will be a great pity."

Xiao Yu put down his teacup, straightened his back, and said unhappily, "General, are you warning me?"

Gao Kan's eyes were burning: "I dare not, I just have some concerns."

Although he had invited the Jiangnan gentry to have a frank talk in Jinling City before the exam, and these people had promised to ensure the smooth conduct of the imperial examination, but as the heartland of the Jiangnan gentry and the place where Confucianism was passed down, there might be people who secretly sabotaged the imperial examination under the banner of "protecting Confucianism."

In this way, they had to warn Xiao Yu to make him afraid and thus restrain the Jiangnan gentry.

Xiao Yu said in a deep voice: "I have retired now and do not care about the government affairs. Today I came to Taicheng to support my son just because he wanted to learn from me. I don't know what will happen to me even if something unexpected happens? You know, even Fang Jun would not dare to be so presumptuous in front of me!"

Gao Kan had a calm expression and said calmly, "I have a duty to ensure the stability of Jiangnan. The imperial examination is the most important thing. Don't use the commander-in-chief to pressure me. If there is any mistake, I will definitely punish it with thundering means. I am afraid that the consequences are not something that the Jiangnan gentry can bear."

After two consecutive mutinies, the gentry in Jiangnan suffered heavy losses, and the wealth accumulated since the end of the Sui Dynasty was almost wiped out. Without sufficient strength to rely on, they would never dare to openly oppose the court's national policy, but Jiangnan was after all a place where aristocratic families were entrenched and Confucianism flourished, so they might not be able to secretly obstruct.

Tens of thousands of elite soldiers of the Youwei Guard are stationed in Shitou City, intimidating the entire Jiangnan region. Any force that dares to stir up trouble can be defeated in one fell swoop. However, if they plot and stir up trouble in private, they will be hard to guard against.

Xiao Yu didn't care about the disrespect in Gao Kan's words. He drank his tea and remained silent.

He didn't dare to make a promise.

The Xiao family of Lanling is undoubtedly the leader of the Jiangnan gentry, but this kind of nominal leadership has no binding force. The aristocratic families openly obey the leadership of the Xiao family of Lanling, but they may have their own plans and act in secret. Who can control it?
Furthermore, he might have taken advantage of this and allowed the Jiangnan gentry to stir up some trouble...

He is willing to completely lean towards the Central Government, but the risk is huge.

The Jiangnan gentry have long since taken root here since they migrated south. In name, the counties of each family are still in the north, but in reality the center of gravity of the family is in Jiangnan. After hundreds of years of management, their roots are deep-rooted and their interests are strong. They are incompatible with the imperial court in the north and are even hostile to each other.

Even though the Sui Dynasty unified the country and brought the north and the south together, the Jiangnan gentry were still outside the central government. "Jiangnan is the Jiangnan of the Jiangnan people" was not an empty talk. Once they relied too much on the central government, the Xiao family of Lanling would arouse the dissatisfaction of the other Jiangnan gentry and be regarded as "having ulterior motives", no longer being the leaders of Jiangnan as before.

After pondering for a long time, Xiao Yu sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to, but I just can't."

"Jiangnan is the Jiangnan of the people of Jiangnan" is the consensus of the Jiangnan gentry. For hundreds of years, the Jiangnan gentry have followed the Nine-Rank System, which enabled their sons to serve as officials and always control Jiangnan.

Once the "Imperial Examination" was introduced, the Nine-Rank System was abolished, and the power to select officials and appoint officials was transferred from the aristocratic families to the central government. Who could serve as an official and who could serve where was no longer controlled by the aristocratic families. How could the Jiangnan gentry be willing to accept this?
In particular, the implementation of the "Southern List and Northern List" has eliminated the advantage of Confucianism of the Jiangnan gentry. Even if the students in the north are uneducated and of low level, the number of official positions they have is the same as that in Jiangnan. In the future, all the officials in Jiangnan will be students from the north. How can we say that "Jiangnan is the Jiangnan of the Jiangnan people"?