Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 1016 - 825: Dragon Shock’s Experience

Chapter 1016: Chapter 825: Dragon Shock’s Experience

Li Xuan had no idea about the thoughts of Dasiming, yet his calmness and patience had far surpassed his youthful days.

Since returning from the South Sea, Li Xuan had been waiting for the right moment, which took over five months.

All of Li Xuan’s energy was invested in the imperial examination.

This was his second spring examination since taking office, adding up to the third examination including the special one at the ascension of the Weixin Emperor.

This imperial examination was also directly related to Li Xuan’s success or failure in reform and in the field of education.

Whether he could acquire enough talent to help implement his reforms and whether he could change the prevailing academic atmosphere to make his doctrines the mainstream of Confucianism depended on this examination.

The nation’s fortunes of the Jin Dynasty and the rise and fall of Confucianism were his foundation, directly related to the strength of his power in the mortal realm.

This time, considering the consecutive openings of provinces by the Zhihuishi Divisions in Liaodong and other northern areas resulting in numerous vacancies, Yu Hongshang specially decreed to increase the number of candidates to eight hundred seventy.

Li Xuan first initiated discussions before the examination, then personally wrote a collection of essays that was published, and finally served as the chief examiner, selecting examiners from various chambers.

The final results of the examination surprised Li Xuan.

Because the mathematics and law sections of this examination were clearly more difficult than those of the previous spring examination and special session.

All the Jinshi who ranked in the top three grades scored high in mathematics, with those ranked in the second grade all achieving perfect scores.

Li Xuan was particularly pleased that these Jinshi understood his political intentions through their essays.

Several of their writings pinpointed current problems and were rich in foresight, giving Li Xuan much inspiration and even caution, making him aware of some issues caused by the reforms.

Regardless of what these Jinshi thought, as long as they understood his doctrines and grasped his policies, they were of use to him.

Under the watch of his "Tao-protecting Eyes", fewer and fewer Confucian scholars could deceive him with their moral quality.

Only those belonging to the Heavenly Demon at the Extreme Heaven Level could stand before him without showing any trace.

Just as the spring examination concluded, the hybrid winter wheat promoted by the Jin Dynasty in the north was steadily being harvested.

Although cold currents still swept through the land, the hybrid wheat developed by Lv Qiluo and Juezui showed extraordinary yield.

Each acre of top fields, with adequate fertilization, could yield up to ten or even twelve stone, which was a remarkable production.

Once this news spread, it caused a stir throughout the Court.

In the few days before harvest, the offices of the six ministries and nine ministers at the Yamen were left empty, as all officials and newly admitted Jinshi rushed to the countryside to see those wheat fields.

Initially, they could hardly believe it, but when their travels encompassed the surroundings of Beijing and they saw the heavy wheat ears in the fields of hybrid wheat, everyone was overwhelmed with joy.

The significance of this hybrid wheat, unlike that of potatoes, sweet potatoes, or sorghum, was different as this was the staple food of the northerners, capable of sustaining lives year after year, a true source of sustenance for countless people.

Most of these officials had not yet thought about the problem of cheap grain hurting the farmers, but were simply astounded by the harvest, believing that a future of abundant food and clothing for the people was imminent, heralding a golden age unprecedented in three generations.

On that day, Grand Secretary Chen Xun personally led the officials to propose that the "Shennong Institute" and "Tiangong Institute," under the administration of the Dudu’s mansion, be transferred to the cabinet and renamed Shennong Temple and Tiangong Temple, ranked above the nine ministers.

Li Xuan strongly opposed this, and after a compromise with Chen Xun and the other officials, he was able to further adjust the official positions in various areas of south Zhili.

At this time, whether it was the spread of land equally to all households or the integration of gentry and ordinary citizens in tax payment, or the progressive land tax system, all were entering the implementation phase.

Li Xuan believed that the conditions for pilot reforms had matured, with several key provinces along the canal and Yangtze River under his control. From top to bottom, they were aligned with the reform faction and had rigorously overhauled the bureaucracy, leading to an excellent official atmosphere.

The next day, Shaofu Yu Jie took on additional roles as Zongdu of Shaanxi, Henan, and Shanxi, commanding a total of 370,000 Jingying soldiers, leaving Beijing to march towards Xi’an City.

At that time, everyone from the top down in the Great Jin Dynasty thought it was time to deal with Prince Yi Yu Jianshen.

Without removing this malignancy, the areas of Shaanxi and Gansu would still not be at peace.

The entire Weixin golden age also seemed less than perfect.

Shaofu Yu Jie also harbored intentions to resolve the issue once and for all, as this time he brought 370,000 Jingying soldiers all equipped with the new shotguns.

The 120,000 soldiers borrowed from Li Xuan’s Shenji Camp included 30,000 men equipped with the "Weixin Type II Rifle," also known as the runed musket rifle.

At that time, the Shenqi Union had already successfully developed the mass production techniques for smokeless gunpowder and mercury fulminate, which also brought down the cost of all-metal bullets to less than three silver yuan, laying the foundation for mass distribution.

However, the craftsmen of the Shenqi Union were still mainly focused on casting Black Gold Divine Armor and firearms for the Heavenly Court, leaving limited production capacity for the Great Jin Court.

Li Xuan also believed that the time had come to address the Book of Jinque and Dasiming, not because of the Great Jin Court’s decision to move elite troops to Xi’an, but because the Mohist Giant Mo Changsheng had completed the development of the retraction cannon.

Li Xuan was quite surprised, as he originally thought that this retraction cannon would take another three to five years to complete.

After all, when the French invented the seventy-five-millimeter quick-firing cannon, other countries still struggled to replicate it effectively, with far inferior rates of fire.