The imperial examination system in the Northern Song Dynasty was divided into three stages: solution, provincial examination and palace examination. Xiekao is similar to the rural exam in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and is held by the states, Kaifeng Prefecture and imperial academy. After passing the solution test, scholars gained the reputation of being jurors. In the second year, Juren went to Beijing to take part in the provincial examination organized by the Ministry of Rites. After having obtained the provincial examination, it is similar to the examination in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the person who passed the examination is called Gong Shi. Gong Shi is eligible to take the palace entrance examination, and the emperor will take the examination himself, just like the palace entrance examination in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Imperial examination in northern song dynasty
However, although it is also an imperial examination, the imperial examination in the Northern Song Dynasty implemented the elimination system (three points in Ming and Qing Dynasties, all of which were selected Jinshi), and the elimination rate ranged from one-third to two-thirds. This means that there is always a part of Gong Shi who has participated in many palace entrance examinations and is still ruthlessly eliminated, so he cannot choose Jinshi.
Bird, a scholar in Huayin County, Huazhou (now huayin city, Shaanxi Province), is one of them.
Bird was originally a little-known figure. Judging from the only records, we can know that he is a young, energetic and talented person. Such a person will definitely not take the usual path.
When Bird grew up, he embarked on the road of imperial examination. He successfully passed the first two levels of the imperial examination, that is, passing the examination and saving the examination, but was eliminated when he took the palace examination. Three years later, Bird was not discouraged and took the imperial examination again. Unfortunately, Bird didn't pass the exam again ... so he was eliminated in the palace entrance exam three times and four times, which made Bird angry.
Imperial examination in northern song dynasty
"If you don't leave me here, you will leave me here." In a rage, Bird left Beijing, all the way to the northwest, defected to Xixia.
At that time, the monarch of Xixia was Li Yuanhao, and Li Yuanhao was ambitious. He is a man with military strategy and courage. Even Cao Wei, the general guarding the border in the Northern Song Dynasty, has heard of his name. In order to understand the situation in Li Yuanhao, Cao Wei even sent someone to follow Li Yuanhao and quietly painted his face. After seeing the portrait of Li Yuanhao, Cao Wei said in surprise, "What a hero." From then on, Cao Wei predicted that Li Yuanhao would become a threat to the Northern Song Dynasty.
Xixia was originally a vassal state of the Northern Song Dynasty. Li Yuanhao deliberately rebelled against the Northern Song Dynasty, and made full preparations for it, attracting a large number of talents. In this context, Bird came to Xixia, which naturally attracted great attention from Li Yuanhao. 1038, Li Yuanhao officially proclaimed himself emperor with the title "Daxia". At the same time, Li Yuanhao appointed Bird as the secretariat. According to historical records, Xixia "belonged to barbarians and Han people since the division, prime minister, ambassador, doctor, assistant and Qiu", indicating that the division's position was higher than that of the prime minister.
Li Yuanhao
With the reuse of Li Yuanhao, Bird will work very hard to harm the former motherland.
104 1 year, Xixia and Northern Song Dynasty ushered in the second war after the relationship broke down-the Battle of Haoshuichuan. In this great war, Xia Song was the peace envoy of Shaanxi in the Northern Song Dynasty, and Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan were the deputy envoys, leading a great army to the war. In this battle, Bird assisted Li Yuanhao by luring the enemy in depth and raiding by cavalry, which caused heavy casualties in the Northern Song Dynasty and killed more than 1 10,000 people. General Ren Fu of Song Jun and his son Ren Huailiang both died on the battlefield.
After the war, Bird wrote a poem on the wall of Shang Jie Temple: "Xia Song didn't shrug, but Han Qi was not surprised. Manchuan is full of dragons and tigers, and the wanderer said that he was a soldier. " The smug expression is beyond words.
Xixia army
After the Battle of Haoshuichuan, Bird strongly suggested that Li Yuanhao send troops to Weizhou to capture Chang 'an. Thus, 1042, the third war between Xixia and Northern Song Dynasty-Dingchuan Village War broke out. In this war, the Xixia army was invincible, defeated Song Jun many times, and went deep into Weizhou. Wherever the Xixia army went, it burned houses and destroyed villages and towns, which caused great loss of life and property to the soldiers and civilians in the Northern Song Dynasty.
In A.D. 10, due to the arrival of Fan Zhongyan, the celebratory envoy, and Song Jun's restraint, Xixia Army dared not go any further, and then retreated, ending the battle of Dingchuan Village.
fan zhongyan
However, from the Northern Song Dynasty to Xixia, Bird was a traitor. Li Yuanhao didn't fully trust him and didn't take many of his suggestions. Bird once advised Li Yuanhao that after invading the land of the Han people, it must be defended by the Han people, so as to expand its territory and obtain a steady stream of financial resources. Li Yuanhao didn't listen, and used the old methods of plunder and restitution when fighting the Northern Song Dynasty.
Bird's proposal of jointly besieging the Northern Song Dynasty with Liao was also rejected by Li Yuanhao. In A.D. 1044, the Helan Mountain War broke out with Liao, which completely cooled our proposal. Bird was disheartened and stopped asking about politics. He died at the end of 1044.
Although Bird was dead, he didn't expect to defect to Xixia, forcing the Northern Song Dynasty to change a practice. According to Wang Yong's Collection of Yan Yi (Volume 5), in view of the lessons of Bird's rebellion during the Song and Xia Dynasties, the elimination system in the imperial examination was cancelled in the Northern Song Dynasty. As long as they took the imperial examination, they all won the honor of Jinshi, and they were only ranked according to the results of the imperial examination. At that time, under the personal auspices of Song Renzong, all the 388 Jinshi who took part in the imperial examination were admitted as Jinshi, which was a great event.
Song Renzong
Since then, the Ming and Qing Dynasties have followed the practice of not excluding Gong Shi in the imperial examination for more than 500 years.