When Li Longji saw that Zhang Xiaobao was adamant about not being able to build a railway to Tibet, Wang Juan chimed in as well. She seemed very disappointed.
In truth, he wanted to build a railway with Chang 'an as the center and extend to the entire Great Tang. At that time, he would be able to transport goods during normal times and soldiers during wartime. He would also be able to roam around everywhere. The main reason was that it was convenient. He believed that with the development of technology, trains would be able to run faster.
Then, every trip he made would be like a trip to the Hibiscus Garden. If there were enemies at the borders, he would be able to deploy his troops from Chang 'an to Lingnan. The fastest time he could take would be ten or even eight days.
When he thought about this, Li Longji could not help but think about the problem of another country that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's master, who was in hiding, had mentioned.
"Xiao Bao, it's rumored that there's a very powerful country. Apart from being able to fire cannonballs from Lu Zhou to the capital, how fast is that country's troops? Can they reach Lu Zhou in five days?"
"Five days?" Zhang Xiaobao looked at Wang Juan in shock.
Wang Juan replied to Zhang Xiaobao with a 'Li Longji is already daring enough' expression and helped Zhang Xiaobao to answer, "Your Majesty, it's said that they can reach Lu Zhou in one day, including when they receive the news, order the troops to be deployed, prepare the weapons and supplies, arrive at the location, set up the defensive line, and complete the first wave of suppressive attacks."
"Don't tell me they can fly?" Li Longji suddenly felt his joy fade away, and a sense of pressure washed over him.
"Fly? Why would they need a day to fly? I only have a rough guess. " Wang Juan did not dare to tell Li Longji how fast her and Xiao Bao's troops were. A day? A day was enough for a bomber to bomb a country on the other side of the world twice.
Li Longji panted heavily and gradually relaxed. He thought about it, 'What else can I do?' Fear alone would not solve the problem. Speeding up development was the most important thing.
When the time came and the military could not keep up, he could at least submit to them.
Xiaobei whispered to Little Yuan, "Is there really a powerful country?"
"Perhaps." Xiao Yuan didn't dare to be sure. He then said something very philosophical. "When we use a small stick to push aside a small stone to look at the ants hiding behind it, perhaps someone is thinking of pushing aside the earth to observe the sun that is like a firefly in their eyes."
"What about the moon?" Xiao Bei began to worry.
Seeing that Li Longji had nothing else to do for the time being, Zhang Xiaobao said, "Your Majesty, it's already late. Your Majesty should rest early. The technical department is currently researching something that's even more useful than the steam engine. They're also thinking of a way to refine petroleum. When that time comes, our military's combat strength will be further improved."
"Ah, good, good. Tomorrow morning, I will order the Supreme Court, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice to interrogate criminals. It's time for the Fall Quarter Examinations. You and Cuckoo should rest well for the next few days."
Li Longji was so agitated that he was no longer sleepy. He could not think of anything to say, so he waved his hand and ordered someone to send Zhang Xiaobao and the rest out of the palace.
Zhang Xiaobao was in a good mood. He even made a few snacks, such as stir-fried squid, grilled mutton, and other snacks that could be eaten as teeth-grinding snacks. He brought his younger siblings to eat supper, washed up, and then went to bed.
*****
There were still three days before the Fall Quarter Examinations. The news of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan returning to the capital spread like wildfire.
Some of the candidates who participated in the Fall Quarter Examinations were happy, while others were disappointed.
Those who were happy wanted to show off their talents. Even if the top scorer had already been decided, they could still fight for second place. Because of Zhang Xiaobao's participation, the second place in the Fall Quarter Examinations might become the top scorer in the hearts of others.
Those who were disappointed were easy to understand. They did not intend to pass the examinations this time. They just wanted to familiarize themselves with the atmosphere of the examinations. Free food and lodging for a month did not seem to be enough. Chang 'an was expensive.
There were even some candidates who took advantage of the time to go sightseeing. They belonged to the category of people who were well-off and did not care about saving money for free food and lodging.
On the afternoon of the third day, near the evening, the organized academies near Chang 'an sent their students to the capital.
Just as the evening lights were about to be lit, a large ship sailed from the west on the waterway south of Chang 'an. The flag on the ship fluttered in the wind, welcoming the afterglow of the setting sun. The words "Jianjia" could be seen on the flag. Immediately, the noise at the docks disappeared.
The students did not make a sound because they wanted to see how the people from the Jianjia Academy looked like. Usually, the teacher and the teacher often talked about the Jianjia Academy. It made people feel unsatisfied and wanted to compete.
Sanshui County had a waterway that led directly to the capital. Seeing that the Jianjia Academy did not take the shortcut instead of the main road, they did not know what to do.
The workers at the docks were silent because this was the first time they saw a large ship on the water. They had seen many bigger ships in the past. However, no matter how many ships they had seen, they could not compare to the ship in front of them.
The ships they had seen in the past were either for trade or goods. There were countless cables on them and most of them were worn out. There were officials and rich people on them, and they were as bright as spring. There were also soldiers in formation, and they were as black as iron.
The ship that was approaching the shore gave people a special feeling, but they could not tell the specific difference at the moment.
"The color dyed the fruits of autumn, like leaves and branches. When the wind blows, the glow is warm. It is soft but not soft. It is hard but not dissatisfied. It is end but not strong. It is clustered but not tight. Before the dance, the heart is moved. It is surging without waves. In a trance, the sky echoes far away. It gives people the feeling like, like … "
A student was helping the workers at the docks analyze the differences between the incoming ships. Towards the end, he didn't know how to describe it. Beside him, there was a child holding a yellow bristle grass in his hand. He jumped over and continued the student's words.
"Like the Jianjia Academy, the white dew is frost. The so-called lover is on the other side of the water."
"Yes, yes, that's right. How is the layout of the attic on the ship arranged? How are the colors applied? It actually gives people the feeling of spring and autumn, as if it has lived through the four seasons and has never forgotten the cold and warmth. This is the Jianjia Academy. "
The student shook his head and sighed. He was not facing the sharpness, but the depth. The ship and the water were in harmony. It was both distant and near.
The ship of the Jianjia Academy slowly approached the shore in silence and anticipation. It was only when someone on the ship called that the workers at the docks woke them up. They were busy throwing ropes and helping.
When the ship came to a stop, a staircase came down and people began to walk from the ship to the shore.
The students of Jianjia Academy lined up in two rows and walked down steadily step by step. Their eyes were clear and unbiased. They were neither arrogant nor pretentious. Just like the ship they had just seen, they were calm and unperturbed.
The people on the shore stared at them. They saw that the people from Jianjia Academy were wearing brown shoes and bright gray robes. When they walked, they could see that they were wearing light black pants. Their hair was tied up loosely with a silk scarf on their heads. On their chests, there was a light green word 'Jianjia'.
When all the students of the Jianjia Academy got off the ship, they split into groups and boarded the carriages that came to pick them up.
"So this is the famous Jianjia Academy." A student stared at the people of the Jianjia Academy without blinking. When the carriages moved toward the city gate and gradually became small dots, he said enviously.
"Yes." Another student said, "While we were worrying about whether we could pass the exam, they already knew how to be an official. It has been seven years. Not a single person from the Jianjia Academy who came to take the exam failed, and I have never heard of anyone resigning. The only one who left his position was the county magistrate who commanded the people to save themselves on the banks of the Wei River during the heavy snow five years ago. He died from overwork.
After that, the Jianjia Academy immediately added a class to recover a lot of energy through a short period of deep sleep.
The Jianjia Academy is called the Jianjia Academy for a person. The Dao is vast, but it is in the center of the water. "
The arrival of the students of the Jianjia Academy made some of the students who wanted to take advantage of the Fall Quarter Examinations lose confidence. The students who had not seen it with their own eyes at the docks heard that more than a hundred people from the Jianjia Academy had come this time. With them here, the requirements for admission would definitely be raised. They were under great pressure.
The scholars of the Jianjia Academy had no time to care about what others thought. After they were arranged to stay in a courtyard with four entrances behind the Savant's Restaurant, they bathed, ate, and rested for a while. Then, they received the information sent by Zhang Xiaobao.
The content of the information was about the current situation in Henan Province. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan listed some ideas and asked them to look at them and improve or change them.
The scholars looked at the information very seriously. To them, compared to the matters arranged by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, the Fall Quarter Examinations were not that important. This was because the two of them needed people who could succeed when faced with adversity, not people who only had good results but would say that they had not adapted to the situation when it came to concrete matters.
Only when the sun was about to rise and those who had memorized the contents of the materials and had their own ideas fell asleep one by one. At noon, Zhang Xiaobao brought a few chefs over to personally cook for the students.
There were a total of 120 scholars in this year's Fall Quarter Examinations. A portion of them were lacking in various aspects, so they continued to struggle and study in preparation for next year's Spring Quarter Examinations.
Because the Great Tang had developed too quickly in recent years, many officials could not keep up with the pace. Thus, Li Longji was not satisfied. After discussing with Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan, and ten-some other important officials, they decided to change a batch of officials. As a result, there would be Imperial Examinations every year.
Some of them even had the ability to do things, but they did not understand the various scriptures well enough. Thus, they were given a chance to become an official.
As for the previous officials, they would have to relearn something like the 'Party School'. The shortest would be half a year, and the longest would be three years. They would be paid, and the land that was given to them would not be taken back.
Those who had completed their studies would be rearranged. Those who still could not complete their studies would be given a 'pension' and allowed to retire.
Thus, those who had the ability and the will to fight were not afraid of not having a chance.
Zhang Xiaobao did not care too much about the details. The reason why he asked for a chef to come was because he did not want to let the 120 scholars eat from the same big pot. Otherwise, he would just take a spade and choose a big pot to cook for 120 people. It was very easy to cook one dish per pot. In the past, when he was in the labor camp to learn new skills, he had done this many times.
"I don't have money. The food in there is really not good." Zhang Xiaobao said to Wang Juan who had come over to watch him while he was cooking.
"Why is it not good?" Wang Juan did not understand clearly enough.
"Let's talk about the food first. It makes people speechless." Zhang Xiaobao weighed the dish with a spoon and then put the chopped green onions into the oil.
"Eat cornbread?" Wang Juan was puzzled.
"You wish. How expensive is the corn flour? How big is the price of two cornbread per person? It makes people look like they are being abused. What we eat is the sponge cake. The sponge cake is big, and we use the worst flour. As long as it is fermented well, we won't be able to tell anything from the appearance.
When we are cooking, we use whatever is cheap. If there is an early morning market nearby, it will save money. We can pick up some vegetable leaves and get some coarse salt. Have you seen the frozen chicken rack? The cost is 80 cents to 1 RMB per chicken. Many people buy them because they are not a good breed of dog. Put two in a pot and fry the vegetables until they are done. Finally, scoop a spoon of gutter oil and pour it into the pot to stir. Well, this is called the oil slick. "
When Zhang Xiaobao was talking, he put the spoon out of the pot. Weiwei followed the spoon. The charcoal fire below was strong enough. With a whoosh, the whole pot was on fire.
Wang Juan felt distressed and said, "You only eat that?"
"I won't eat it. I've tasted it twice, and I won't eat it in the future. Only poor people eat it. I'll give some of the money I stole to discipline them, and they'll be treated well. What's the point of being a leader? I'll respect whoever can teach me some skills, and I'll beat those who can't."
"If you are so good, why are you still cooking?"
"I am still moving bricks. My body needs exercise." The vegetables in Zhang Xiaobao's hands were done. He washed the pot, put in the oil again, and prepared to cook.
"Listening to you, it is quite interesting." Wang Juan's knowledge of that place came more from the publicity. She had not experienced it personally.
"It is a pity that you don't have a chance to try it. Over there, the rich are the masters, and the poor can't fight. Even if you want to be a grandson, you have to line up. You also have to give half of your cake to those who can fight but have no money. In that place, you are not afraid of tiring work, but you are afraid of no work. No matter how tiring the work is, you can eat your fill.
You are either beaten or beaten. "Zhang Xiaobao cooked the new dishes and told Wang Juan as if he was telling a funny story.
The cooks worked hard. In less than half an hour, the dishes were ready. Eight hot dishes, one soup, and four cold plates were served to the table where the students ate. The students were already in their seats, but they were standing next to their seats. Zhang Xiaobao cooked personally, so they did not dare to sit and wait.
Zhang Xiaobao carried a dish and put it on the table closest to him. He clapped his hands and said, "Okay, sit down. Everyone can have at most three cups of wine. White wine is not allowed. First, allow my wife to speak to everyone. Please."
The students felt much more relaxed. They looked at Wang Juan and did not dare to look at her for too long. Wang Juan was dressed up today, so she was too bright and dazzling.
"What is there to say? During the exam, write well. After you finish the exam, you are not allowed to sleep in there. Qiu Han, if it is cold, I will ask someone to send you some charcoal. Don't expect me to give you any notes. Those who are sick from the cold will be thrown to the medical school and let the students there practice. Okay, it is Xiao Bao's turn to speak."
Wang Juan said casually and let Zhang Xiaobao take over.
The students looked at Zhang Xiaobao again and waited for him to speak.
Zhang Xiaobao picked up a cup of wine, coughed and said, "This … it is a long story. Eat well, drink well, cheers."
The students were stunned and raised their cups.
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