In the early years of Da Qing, military offices were hereditary. The sons and descendants of military officials regularly studied military strategy and drilled troops in their daily lives, and when a father or elder brother died or retired from service, they would inherit and take over the post. Of course, high offices and major commands could not be inherited — those required accumulating military merit and advancing rank by rank.
Because of this, most military officials at court were descendants of those who had rendered meritorious service.
Shortly after the reigning Emperor ascended the throne, he had fought a battle in the southwestern border against the King of Dian — a battle of limited scale, swiftly won. Yet the Emperor discovered a critical flaw: the descendants of his meritorious officials, after several generations of inherited rank, had for the most part become good-for-nothing wastrels, and the “merits” they had accumulated were hollow through and through.
How could he dare to have men like these lead troops in battle and guard the borders?
And so the Ministry of War had been repeatedly advocating for a military examination.
Young men of military families like Situ Yang — relying on their father’s battle honors — would in former times have been able to muddle along to a third or fourth-rank military post somehow or other. Now that was no longer possible. The court was willing to pay to keep them fed, but would not grant them substantive positions.
In recent years, the capital had gained many who held the title of Rectifying Cavalry Commander — the title sounded imposing, but in truth they had not a single soldier under their command.
If one wished to hold a military command, one had to be genuinely tested.
Before the examination opened, the court announced the policies for granting official positions through this military examination. Similar to the civil examination, it was also divided into three tiers, with a public proclamation: “The top-tier military Zhuangyuan is to be granted the rank of Acting Commander of a Thousand Households Deputy, the Bangyan and Tanhua are each to be granted the rank of Acting Chiliarch of a Thousand Households; the seventeen men of the second tier are each to be granted the rank of Acting Deputy Chiliarch of Five Hundred Households; the one hundred men of the third tier are each to be granted the rank of Acting Centurion of a Hundred Households… [1]”
Of course, there was a supplementary condition — those who passed would receive only the designation; the actual appointment would come only after military merit had been achieved.
Those who passed would be sent to the various frontier commanders-in-chief, to garrison outposts and lead soldiers, and await orders to combat threats.
Simply passing the examination meant a promotion of at least two grades, and this set the hearts of many candidates racing.
……
Situ Yang’s participation in the military examination set an example for the sons of military families throughout the capital, and earned the Emperor’s praise.
Situ Yang was fully aware that his literary knowledge was lacking, and a full month before the examination, he went to the Xu household with the utmost sincerity, earnestly requesting his brother-in-law Xu Zhan to coach him. Fortunately, though Situ Yang’s literary thinking was insufficient, he was diligent and measured in his efforts, and having accumulated a foundation over the previous few years, with only two military strategy questions to answer, after an intensive month’s effort Situ Yang had reached the level where he could express himself fluently and speak substantively.
As for calligraphy, ornate phrasing, and citing classical texts — those could not be forced.
On the day of the written examination, Situ Yang was somewhat agitated and anxious. Even though he was normally the most thick-skinned of people, he feared that he might not pass this round and lose even the qualification to take the subsequent martial arts examination.
When the questions were announced, Situ Yang’s suspended heart finally settled. One question was drawn from the Six Strategies: “He who conquers first shows weakness to the enemy first.” His brother-in-law had explained this classical meaning to him in detail — first feigning weakness to the enemy, creating a false impression, so that when the decisive engagement finally comes, one can achieve twice the result with half the effort.
As long as he had not misunderstood the meaning, it would not be difficult to write.
The second question tested current affairs and border defense — it was a topic he had practiced before, and he simply needed to write down his own views as they came to him.
Several days later, the written examination results were announced. Of the seven hundred and ninety-eight who passed, Situ Yang ranked exactly six hundredth.
Situ Yang had spent years honing himself on the training grounds and had not wasted his time — he had trained himself into a formidable set of abilities. But even in the subsequent martial arts examination, he did not find things easy. After all, the military examination was meant to select men of true generalship — it would not merely test parlor tricks.
The archery test alone comprised three events: mounted archery, standing archery, and level archery. For the level archery, the candidate had to stand a hundred paces away and shoot a wooden target — only those who hit two or more arrows had the qualification to compete for first or second tier. Because of the great distance, this event was the most difficult, requiring the greatest demands on the candidate’s eyesight and arm strength.
Those whose eyesight was insufficiently sharp could not even see the target clearly at a hundred paces — how were they to hit it?
The mounted archery tested horse-riding while shooting, assessing both horsemanship and the timing of the release — a half-breath’s delay would cause the arrow to miss entirely. One had to hit four or more arrows to compete for first or second tier.
The weapon event tested the cavalry spear. The candidate, mounted on horseback, held a spear eight chi long and weighing more than ten jin. The examiner struck the horse once with a whip, the horse charged forward at full gallop, and as it passed by the four straw dummies on the field, the candidate had to thrust left and right with his spear and strike the wooden boards on top of each straw dummy — leaving the dummy itself undamaged.
Candidates whose spear technique was insufficient would thrust a spear right through the straw dummy, leaving a gaping hole. No matter how good their archery, they could only fall into the third tier.
After this came tests of strength and endurance.
Finally, the Minister of War himself observed the candidates’ bearing and appearance — those of short stature or unsightly appearance also fell into the lower ranks.
Standing on the martial arts ground, Situ Yang felt none of the anxious unease he had felt during the written examination. Instead, he felt a degree of exhilaration — the same as in the days of old when he played pitch-pot, football, and polo. The closer he was to taking the stage, the more excited he became.
The desire to win was at work.
The black bow was drawn wide, the arrow set to the string. Situ Yang’s face had no trace of the rakish nonchalance of his usual days — his sword-shaped brows were set firm, his eyes sharp as a hawk’s, his bearing absolutely steady.
The string was released, the arrow loosed. An instant later, a hundred paces away, the wooden target tilted ever so slightly backward, a long-feathered arrow planted squarely in the bullseye.
The first arrow had hit.
Immediately after, Situ Yang vaulted onto his horse, his silhouette tall and upright.
The crack of the whip sounded. With swift eyes and decisive hands, he moved without hesitation, and successfully passed both the mounted archery and the cavalry spear.
In the end, Situ Yang hit three arrows in the level archery, released every mounted archery arrow without a miss, and struck three boards with the cavalry spear — the three most important events were all excellent.
Yet the moment he walked off the martial arts grounds, Situ Yang instantly reverted to his usual grinning, carefree expression.
Pei Shaohuai had come to keep him company through the examination. Seeing his brother-in-law’s manner, he knew at once that things had gone well.
“Come, come, let’s go — back to the General’s manor,” Situ Yang urged the page boy the moment he got into the carriage. “I need to hurry home and start packing, ready to be posted away.” He was in high spirits.
“Even after the examination is finished, there is still the Ministry of War submitting the rankings and the court assigning official posts — that will take some time yet. What is Elder Brother-in-law so impatient about?”
“What do you know,” Situ Yang said smugly. “I’m packing my bags to make a statement — to let them know that I have passed and will be posted away, so they had better forget any thoughts of finding me a concubine.”
Pei Shaohuai laughed and said: “First, let me offer my congratulations to Elder Brother-in-law.”
……
Several days later, in the Golden Throne Hall, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War announced the military examination rankings. Situ Yang placed sixth in the second tier.
When posts were assigned, the second tier should by rights have been granted the rank of Deputy Chiliarch of Five Hundred Households. But since Situ Yang was the descendant of a military family and already held the sixth-rank honorary title of Rectifying Cavalry Commander, the assignment was changed to a promotion of two grades — he was granted the rank of Commander of a Thousand Households Deputy, and could in future be selected to serve as a general in the military.
He was to proceed to his posting at the Jizhou Garrison at a date to be designated, taking charge of matters pertaining to the garrison troops’ farmland, training, and administrative affairs. The Jizhou Garrison was the closest of the nine frontier garrisons to the capital — only a day’s journey away — also known as the Shanhai Pass among the nine passes, the most important barrier on the route north from the capital.
Situ Yang returned from the martial arts banquet with a slight flush of drink about him.
The sky was turning dark. Situ Yang still wore the official robe bestowed by the Ministry of Rites, and without returning to the General’s manor, he made his way to the Earl’s manor instead.
As he always had, he strode directly to Pei Shaohuai’s courtyard. Having drunk some wine, his manner was all the more unrestrained.
“Shaohuai, there are some words lodged in my chest with nowhere to go — I want to speak with you.”
Pei Shaohuai saw that his brother-in-law’s face held not the excitement of having one’s name on the martial arts list, but rather a hint of melancholy. He had Chang Fan bring sobering tea, then sent all the page boys away.
“Shaohuai, am I a bit worthless?” Situ Yang said sincerely. “Simply because my surname is Situ, must I live in my father’s shadow forever?”
“Elder Brother-in-law passed the military examination with high marks — how could he be considered worthless?”
“I placed only sixth, yet I was given an official post equal to that of the military Zhuangyuan. Others are posted all over the realm, while I am stuck close to the capital, guarding Shanhai Pass… Does this not make people feel that I won without merit, relying on the protection of the General Situ household?”
So this was what was weighing on Situ Yang’s mind.
Pei Shaohuai understood, and helped his brother-in-law analyze it: “The Emperor intends to encourage the sons of military families to sit the military examination rather than simply inherit their fathers’ positions. As the first among military families to participate in the military examination and earn a good ranking, Elder Brother-in-law stands out brilliantly — it is perfectly natural for the Emperor to instruct the Ministry of War to show you some partiality. And this is not solely because your surname is Situ.”
He also said: “Elder Brother-in-law has trained in martial arts all his life and surely understands the military principle of ‘the favor of heaven, earth, and man.’ Luck and timing are also a kind of ability, so Elder Brother-in-law need not trouble himself over this.”
As for being posted to guard Shanhai Pass, Pei Shaohuai said: “The Jizhou Garrison to the north has the Yan Mountains stretching in unbroken succession, and to the south lies the boundless expanse of the Bohai Sea — hence the name Shanhai, the Mountain-Sea Pass. The walls are high and the moats deep. To the north, the plains stretch open and a horse can gallop for ten thousand li; in retreat, the mountains form a defense as solid as gold and iron. A place like this suits Elder Brother-in-law perfectly.”
“What do you mean?”
Pei Shaohuai knew that what Situ Yang cared about in his heart amounted to no more than two things: his wife and children, and the accumulation of merit to protect his wife and children. So he explained: “In retreat, it is easily defended and hard to break through — Elder Brother-in-law can take his wife and children along to the posting without worrying too much about their safety. In advance, the terrain opens into flat plains — if enemy forces still harbor hostile ambitions, once Elder Brother-in-law has trained up a crack troop, he will have every opportunity to show what he is made of. Is this not precisely what Elder Brother-in-law seeks?”
Pei Shaohuai added one more word: “Ask Elder Brother-in-law Xu Zhan — he will think the same.”
Situ Yang was persuaded, and his grinning expression returned. He said: “I knew coming to find you would make me feel better. Now that I think about it, this Shanhai Pass is actually not bad at all. And it’s good that it’s close to the capital — it’ll be easy for your second elder sister to come back and visit whenever she likes.”
“That is the right way for Elder Brother-in-law to think.”
……
In March, when the willow trees put out their green shoots and swayed in the spring breeze, Situ Yang left to take up his post at Shanhai Pass.
The frontier pass was harsh and arduous. Lian Jie’er had once thought to persuade her younger sister to leave the elder daughter in the capital, so she would not have to endure hardship by going along. She said: “The little one is still too young to leave you, but the elder one could stay in the capital — it would be easier to find her a good match in future.”
After all, the capital was one world, and a frontier post was another.
Lan Jie’er shook her head and said: “I understand what Elder Sister means. I have lain awake thinking it over at night, and still cannot bear to part with her. I do not want a child to grow up separated from her mother, always longing for her… This feeling, Elder Sister, you should understand better than anyone.”
She had grown up without her own mother from an early age, and knew what it was for a child to be parted from her mother.
She also said: “A person like me ought by rights to have suffered greatly, yet it was given to me to meet Situ Yang, and to have this good fortune. Wherever he goes, I follow… This is my best possible fate. Elder Sister need not worry about younger sister.”
Lian Jie’er, full of tender care for her younger sister, said: “The two places are not far apart. If there is anything lacking at the frontier post, let me know and I will have it sent to you.”
……
……
With Situ Yang’s military examination concluded and behind them, the triennial provincial examination was on the horizon — it was a You year, which meant a regular examination year.
Pei Shaohuai was now fifteen years of age and intended to try his hand at it.
The Shuntian Prefectural Academy was quite open-minded about it and had surveyed at the start of the year which students planned to sit the autumn examination. For all those who intended to take the test, they were simply required to come in and mark their attendance, and could spend the remaining time reviewing their studies on their own.
Tutor Duan gave Pei Shaohuai separate instructions: “Literary excellence is not something that can be achieved simply by studying. However, the quality of bearing and presence can be cultivated in everyday life. The essays of Mencius, the second sage, offer incisive observations in words that are plain, yet his bearing is vast and unyielding — this came from his years of traveling and observing the famous mountains and great rivers of the world. This is the mastery that lies beyond the text.”
“Though you have not traveled far and wide, you have arrived at this bearing through your own means. This autumn’s provincial examination — if you can let that bearing flow onto the page, there will be no question of your making the list.”
Pei Shaohuai replied: “This student understands.”
The tutor also said: “The provincial examination places greater emphasis on policy questions. Essays that can be linked to the many significant affairs within Da Qing, speaking substantively and not emptily, will be far more likely to win the favor of the chief examiner. This too is something you must pay close attention to.”
“This student will take the opportunity to seek guidance from Grand Master Xu and Elder Brother-in-law.”