Chapter 407: Chapter 214 The Heart’s Desire_2
Translator: 549690339
The guard leading the crowd was eloquent, and as more people gathered, his words became increasingly captivating, filling the listeners with intense excitement.
Many scholars in the crowd, or those with scholars in their family, listened with glowing eyes and became extremely excited.
Many began to discuss.
“Is this recruitment of talented people in Changsha Country real? Could there really be more than seventeen hundred government vacancies?”
“Of course, it’s real. Didn’t you see it written on the announcement?”
People nearby whispered, “It’s written in the announcement, but who knows how much of it is true and how much is false, you have to know, our… ”
“Don’t say, don’t say, too many people here, we dare not say this.” Someone quickly interrupted.
Some knowledgeable merchants nearby heard these noisy voices and couldn’t help laughing, “A group of ignorant people. Let me tell you, I just took a trip to Dongting, no, Changsha Country earlier this year and sold over a hundred carriages worth of rice.
From what I saw on the journey, the entire Changsha Country was dilapidated, with a large reduction in population, and the people were destitute.
After such years of war, even if they had a solid foundation and plenty of scholars, they’ve been decimated.
Now, after finally subduing the Miao people and establishing the so-called Changsha Country, everything needs to be rebuilt from scratch, how could they not lack officials?
Let me tell you.
Originally, when I sold rice, I went to Yangshan Prefecture. At that time, Sun Siwen, the Prefect of Yangshan Prefecture, who also overseen the Nanshan Prefecture of Dongting, personally received me.
While in his office, I personally witnessed that there were only thirty or so officials in the vast government office, less than a third of the full staff. After inquiring around, I found out that the whole Southern Three Prefectures, and even the entire Dongting jurisdiction, was like this.
For local prefectures and counties, apart from the main officials of prefectures and departments having incumbents, all other subordinate officials have no one to assume the positions and can only be performed concurrently by the chief officials.
I’ve heard that the entire Dongting Southern Three Prefectures are short of more than three hundred officials.
Now that the King of Changsha has united Dongting and established a country, not only is the territory twice as large, but there is also a central court. Don’t you think there will be more vacancies for officials?
In my opinion, more than seventeen hundred official vacancies are mostly true. Even if it’s less, that’s because we went too late, and the positions were already taken up by others.
After all, the recruitment decree of the King of Changsha has been issued for two months now.
Two months have passed, who knows whether they have accelerated the imperial examinations due to a lack of officials and recruited batches of people to fill the positions?”
Hearing this, someone nearby couldn’t help but ask, “This recruitment notice is only issued now, how do you know it was issued two months ago?”
The merchant heard this and proudly said, “Of course, I would know. Truth be told, I received the news two months ago. I had already sent my two sons to Changsha Country. ”
Now both of them have sent back news that they had participated in a special imperial examination, called Enke, held in September by the Lord of Changsha Country, and both of them passed.
According to my two sons, over five hundred people participated in the September Enke, and more than one hundred and sixty people passed.
Nearly one in three or four could pass.
Let me ask you, which dynasty’s imperial examination could be this easy?
Moreover, now with the imperial examinations, upon passing, the priority assignment is for central government officials. Can the prospects of central government officials and local officials be the same?
Now that the new dynasty is being established, if you make some achievements under the eyes of those ministers in Changsha Country, wouldn’t it be easy to get promoted?
But my two sons are ambitious. After they passed the examination, they didn’t choose to become officials, but instead they plan to participate again in the imperial examination in November, aiming to get the title of jinshi for a better future.
All of you are still debating whether it’s true or not. You don’t realize that the truly smart people have already packed up their things and gone to participate in the imperial examination.
Now, of the seventeen hundred official vacancies, more than one hundred and sixty have been taken.
What’s left is just over fifteen hundred.
If you don’t hurry, this number will continue to decrease.
Moreover, this recruitment order from Changsha Country was not only sent to our Nanhai Country, but also to Ninghai Country.
When the talented scholars from the Three Nations arrive, the competition will be even more intense.
If you don’t go now, even if an official position fell from the sky, you wouldn’t be able to catch it.”
Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly shocked.
They all hadn’t expected that what was written in the announcement was actually all true.
However, there were still some people looking at the merchant with uncertain eyes, doubting whether he was a stooge hired by the government.
But just then, a considerable amount of people nearby stood up to support this point.
“That merchant is right. I just returned from Changsha Country this month, they are indeed seeking talent everywhere, and indeed, they conducted imperial exams in September.”
“Yes, the recruitment order of Changsha Country was dispatched two months ago. It’s just that it has only been issued within our country now.”
“If we don’t expedite now, we will really miss this opportunity.”
“Why tell them all these? I have already sent my younger brother, if these people are coaxed to go, won’t it mean that they will be competing against my brother?”
A middle-aged man dressed as a man of wealth glared at the people speaking around him, then looked at the crowd and said, “Everyone, don’t believe what these people are saying. They’re all talking nonsense. Is there any imperial examination or recruitment order in Changsha Country? None of you should go.”
His words would have been better left unsaid. As soon as he said this, those who were hesitating previously, suddenly started to take action.
Without making a sound, the crowd was short of a dozen people.
By the time someone noticed, a large group of the people who were originally gathered in front of the official list had left.