Xu Zhenjing's page was quietly removed again. Many people only wake up after the incident, and it turns out that they have just brushed shoulders with death.

In a cold sweat!

At this point, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty also understood another fact more clearly. No matter how the situation changes in this court, no matter how many princes and princes will change and who will prosper, this Great Zhou Dynasty has always been under the strong rule of the empress, and her control over the court and the country is unprecedentedly strong.

Such a strong emperor, counting the emperors of Li and Tang dynasties in the past, only Emperor Taizong Li Shimin has ever done this. The Empress is even better than the Empress in some ways, such as the Prime Minister. Li Shimin has great respect and trust for the prime minister he appointed, and the power of the prime minister is also quite considerable. But the prime minister around the empress is always changing, and no one wants to sit in the government hall for a long time to cultivate their own power.

Many perceptive ministers are aware that the power of the prime minister has shrunk greatly in the current Wu Zhou dynasty. The Empress wields absolute power, and no one can compete with her. Among the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, at most there was only Xue Shao, who was in charge of the military, and his status was relatively special. But he has never paid homage to the prime minister, and his right to speak above the court is very limited. Moreover, Xue Shao himself has never exceeded his duty to meddle in affairs, and in the court where a group of civil servants stand up for partisan disputes, he has always been detached and neutral. He has a lot of like-minded friends, but he never cliques up. He has a strong influence on the government, but he rarely speaks out above the court. But as long as he comes forward, he will definitely be able to get things done. For example, he overthrew Zhou Xing and rescued Wei Fangzhen and Fan Yunxian before.

Therefore, it is no more accurate to describe Xue Shao with "silence is golden, and every word is true".

People will not forget that the support of the military was a crucial factor in the smooth accession of the empress to the throne. In fact, at that time, the time for the empress to ascend the throne was not very ripe, and the rebellion of the Li Tang royal family had just been quelled, and the situation was unstable. Outside, the Turkic, Tibetan, and Western Regions countries were surrounded by powerful enemies, and the Central Plains was facing strong military pressure. But it was precisely because of Xue Shao's vigorous push that the empress took a big step over those big hurdles and successfully ascended to the Ninth Five-Year Plan under pressure from all sides.

After ascending the throne, it was much easier for the empress to go back and solve those troubles and problems left over from history. Because she is already the emperor, she can do anything justifiably. For example, investigating and prosecuting Li Sujie continued to clear the legacy of the Li Tang royal family, such as the alliance with the Turks and the expedition to the Western Regions. She did everything quite neatly, and everything she did helped her to consolidate her imperial rule, and also helped the country get out of the turbulent situation as soon as possible.

However, behind the empress's handling of these major events, there is the shadow of Xue Shao.

There are some wise people who have already comprehended some truths, and Xue Shao's silence does not mean that he does not care about things. It's just that when he is in charge, ordinary people can't see it. Because he talks directly to the empress herself, he never speaks openly above the court.

Xue Shao's management is not an ordinary thing.

Nowadays, the vast majority of ministers in the government and the opposition are actively or passively involved in the struggle for the throne. Only Xue Shao and all of them were completely different in level and height, and he always kept the same pace as the empress, and even the same height. Together, they are at the forefront, guiding the general direction of the country. As for how those princes and ministers were planning and fighting behind them, compared to what they did, it was just a trivial matter.

The empress and Xue Shao are respectively using their respective cultural governance and martial arts to work together to govern the country, this is the truth.

With the empress here, no one can touch Xue Shao. Because of Xue Shao's suffering, the "martial arts" of the Wu Zhou Dynasty will be abolished.

On the contrary, no one dared to bring down the empress with Xue Shao. Because the empress is the "best partner" selected by Xue Shao herself. Military is an extension of politics, and no matter how much Xue Shao can fight, he will achieve nothing without a strong political guarantee. The empress's super ability to govern is the greatest guarantee for the country to get out of the predicament and work hard, and it is also the soil and strong backing for Xue Shao and the entire military to take root.

The empress will not abandon her martial arts, and Xue Shao will not cut off her foundation. The combination of the two of them is the country's two-pronged cultural governance and martial arts.

Some people understand it, but there are still others who don't understand it in a vague way. Wu Yizong and Zhang Guangfu paid a heavy price because of such confusion.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the martial arts election.

Emperor Wen of Sui pioneered the imperial examination, and now the empress is about to create a martial arts.

There is no doubt that Wuju is a major event of the Wu Zhou Dynasty, a major event that has opened a precedent for all ages. And the initiator and organizer of this major event is Xue Shao.

At the same time, there was also an unprecedented "palace test". Wu Zetian will personally "invigilate" the examination in the palace and select talents from the more than 10,000 students who have been referenced.

There are more than 10,000 students, including white-born commoners, children of families, officials in the court, and even foreign students from Silla, Japan, and the Western Regions with the surname Zhaowujiu.

Shishu is in the same stream, and the capable are the first.

It is worth mentioning that the palace examination items were all drawn up by Wu Zetian himself.

The Li Tang Dynasty attached great importance to the Ming classics of "sticking to the scriptures and the meaning of ink", and it focused on examining the students' familiarity with the Confucian classics. This subject has a great advantage for the children of the family, because the family is rich in books and has a large collection, and it is not difficult for students to get a good score if they can memorize the Confucian classics. However, Wu Zetian paid more attention to the "Jinshi Branch", which did not have strict requirements for the rote memorization of Confucian classics, and mainly focused on examining poetry and songs, and looking at the talent and aura of the middle school students themselves.

For the same book, some people can remember a few sentences and even memorize the whole text after reading it. Others are able to grasp the essence of the book and turn it into their own knowledge, or even write a better book.

This can be roughly understood as the main difference between the Ming Jing Department and the Jinshi Branch.

However, Wu Zetian also added other examination subjects to the palace examination to test the students' insight and practical ability in government affairs. For example, at present, Da Zhou is making peace with the Turks, and Wu Zetian asked the students to use articles to discuss the pros and cons of this matter. The other topic is related to people's livelihood, discussing the pros and cons of the slaughter ban.

Speak freely and without any prohibitions. Even if someone insulted the emperor in the narrative, he was pardoned and acquitted.

Confucian classics, poetry and songs, and administrative ability, the three comprehensive excellent ones are the talents that Wu Zetian wants.

Martial arts and palace examinations, so that the civil and military talents of the Great Zhou world gathered in Luoyang.

A hundred flowers bloom, thousands of families contend.

People in the world often sigh that Maxima often exists but Bole does not often exist. But now, Wu Zetian and Xue Shao have become Bole who has talents in the world. The phrase "have the ability to go to Luoyang" has been widely circulated among the people.

Xue Shao presided over the martial arts, and nearly 20,000 athletes participated in the election, more than the palace examination. They come from various states and counties, military governments and military families, and even Taoist priests and monks with unique skills. The location of the preliminary competition was chosen at the Bishan Hunting Ground on the side of the Luoshui camp, which was the place where Xue Shao once entertained Li Dayu and Sun Wanrong.

The arena of tens of thousands of people was unprecedented.

The items in the preliminary round are traditional military skills, first of all, the body appearance, and those who are tall and strong will naturally score higher. Equestrianism is an important basic skill, and archery is the most important thing in foot shooting, long chop long shooting, and mounted archery.

The four major disciplines of physique, warping, equestrian and archery are the four major subjects of the preliminary round. After these four assessments, the winners will be selected to enter the second selection.

The elimination of the preliminary round was very cruel, and only 200 people entered the second round of nearly 20,000 people in the end. Fuyuan will be carried out in the large campus of the lecture platform. Those who can enter the re-election are all military talents from one out of a hundred, and no matter whether they can stand out in Fuyuan or not, they will all get the opportunity to study on the platform from now on, so as to reach a higher level.

Xue Shao had full power, but he only showed his face at the ceremony on the first day of the preliminary round and never appeared again. The preliminary round was mainly handled by Xiao Zhizhong, a member of the staff, and the second round was checked by Yao Yuanchong and Su Weiwei, the two waiters of Xia Guan. What Xue Shao cares about the most is the final selection made by himself, and he wants to know who will become the first martial champion in history. At that time, the empress will also be present in person, and she, like Xue Shao, is full of curiosity about this martial champion.

The preliminary martial arts competition, which lasted for many days, finally ended, and the two hundred winning athletes were happily taken to the Yuanbi City north of the imperial city and entered the closed campus of the martial arts platform.

When they got here, the athletes were a little confused. Because what awaits them is neither a feast of celebration nor glory and praise, but a super-strict military control and a stern head with an iron face and selflessness. The first thing you do when you enter the door is to learn the "rules", which includes a strict school management system and all military discipline and discipline. This is also an important subject in the second selection. In just a few days, if these athletes do not memorize these rules and regulations and strictly abide by them, they will be eliminated immediately, and even the opportunity to stay in the field will be lost.

Here, in fact, is the first "military school" of the Great Zhou Dynasty. A huge carved stone was erected in the center of the school field, and the four big characters "military orders are like mountains" were written on it.

These four words were inscribed by Xue Shao himself. Although it is far inferior to calligraphy, the four words written by Xue Shao will be the first lesson for all students who speak Wutai, and it is also the code of conduct that they will abide by for a lifetime.

In addition to the strict assessment of military discipline, the second selection also includes physical competition and brutal confrontation in actual combat, including boxing, knife and horse fighting. Almost all of the 200 athletes were injured along the way, and in the end, only ten people were left to enter the final selection.

Xue Shao personally came forward to preside over the final election, and Yao Yuanchong, Su Wei and Xiao Zhizhong also served as assistants. Xue Shao also invited Xia Guan's predecessor Shangshu and Prime Minister Cen Changqian to serve as assistants. Empress Wu Zetian also personally attended the scene as a "special guest" and witnessed the entire process of the first martial champion.

Xue Shao believes that the winners who can be out of doubt in the primary and secondary elections have no problem with force itself. But there is still a big difference between a good general and a reckless man. Therefore, in the final selection of exam subjects, there is no need to sweat like rain without seeing swords, soldiers, and horses.

The ten winners will face Xue Shao directly one by one to talk and debate with him. Xue Shao has to test their art of war, their knowledge, and their brains and all their comprehensive abilities!

Wu Zetian was full of curiosity about this exam method, so she asked Xue Shao, what exam questions have you prepared?

Xue Shao replied with a smile: "Your Majesty, the minister did not prepare any exam questions. When the minister arrives, he asks whatever comes to mind. Your Majesty and a few of your colleagues who are assisting in the election may also wish to ask questions at any time, whatever you want. ”

"That's fun, too." Wu Zetian became interested, "Let's start right away, I desperately want to know that one, the first martial champion in the past!" ”