Just as Liangzhou City was preparing for its fall, Qiuci Town, far away in Anxi, ushered in the highest population peak of the entire town since the founding of the Tang Dynasty - 520,000 people.
In the early Tang Dynasty, the population of Qiuci Town was 81,000.
In the twelfth year of Tianbao, refugees from the Central Plains began to move to Anxi to avoid disasters. The population of Qiuci Town increased repeatedly. When the Anshi Rebellion broke out, the town's population had reached 150,000.
After that, refugees poured in again and again, and the population of Kucha Town increased steadily, finally exceeding 400,000 in the second year of Tianyou.
Nowadays, after the promulgation of the "God's Blessing of the Talents", Qiuci Town serves as the second examination center in the autumn period of the Northern Tang Dynasty, where business and miscellaneous people can take the imperial examination.
Moreover, in the imperial examination categories, on the basis of the subjects such as Xiucai, Mingjing, and Jinshi, two new subjects were added, namely the study of objects and business studies.
As a result, most of the Tang Dynasty, plus many wealthy industrial and commercial families from other small countries, traveled thousands of miles and went to great lengths to send their young men to Anxi to participate in the scientific examination held in the Northern Tang Dynasty.
Among them, some families with business and miscellaneous studies even moved their family property directly to Anxi from other places.
Because of this, before Qiu Wei, the population of Kucha Town actually exceeded the 520,000 mark.
Due to the tight living space and living space in the city, the city had to be expanded in the north and south directions on the basis of the original old city.
With Dongchuan River (today's Kuqa River) as the main river in the city, Qiuci Town expanded out Baishan City (today's Ixihara Town) to the north and Chisha City (today's Wuqia Town) to the south, two partial cities.
There is a military fortress each, and the rest are towns without walls for the people to live in.
As a result, the town planning of Kucha Town during the Tianyou period was about one-half that of Kuqa Town in later generations, but its population size was almost the same.
At this time, Qiuci Town was lined with buildings and densely populated.
On the Dongchuan River, there are countless cargo ships and pleasure boats floating on it. Banquets, singing and dancing on both sides of the river are connected into a piece, and the entire river bank is airtight.
A poet who experienced the autumn period of Qiuci Town once wrote a poem: "Thousands of house fires enter the city in autumn, the long streets are like Luo embroidery, geese are in the clouds, fish are in the water, and the clothes and crowns of the nine days are bowed to the crown."
Qiuci Town is prosperous, which can be seen from this poem.
Guo Ziyi, who had just assumed the post of deputy envoy of Anxi Jiedu, had never stopped being shocked since arriving in Anxi.
In his impression, Anxi existed like a barbarian. The people here were uneducated, wars broke out in small border countries, and the people's lives were miserable.
But after traveling through the Daqi Commercial Road and actually arriving in Anxi, Guo Ziyi realized that she was like a frog in a well, and how wrong she was.
When traveling to Shicheng Town, Guo Ziyi saw thousands of local merchants gathered outside the town gate to welcome refugees and relocated residents. They were recruiting talents regardless of cost. There were even people in the town who were responsible for recommending employment.
When we arrived at Yanqi Town, there was a town market outside the town that accommodated slave households from Hebei, Chang'an, Luoyang and other places. These slave households not only had food and clothing in the town market, but also had to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. Once they had completed their studies,
, will be sent to the four towns of Anxi to fill the manpower gaps in various places.
When Guo Ziyi arrived at Kucha Town, he rode on his horse and saw this huge city.
There is no city wall as strong as Luoyang, nor as strict planning as Chang'an, but every corner of Qiuci Town embodies a rare feature in the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty - vitality.
The cultures of Tang Dynasty, Anxi, Dashi and other countries blended and gathered here.
Various industries are developing rapidly here, with new workshops opening every day.
There is no distinction between good and bad here. Craftsmen, businessmen, and musicians from humble backgrounds can not only have their property guaranteed, but as long as they have a skill, they can earn respect and honor here. No matter where they go, they can earn respect and honor.
You can hear others call you everyone.
Everything here is so strange to Guo Ziyi.
It was so strange that doubts arose in his heart. When did all this in Anxi happen? And how did it happen?
After handing over the work with the previous deputy envoy Feng Changqing, Guo Ziyi did not rush to interfere in the operation of the Protectorate. Instead, he took his subordinates and wandered around Qiuci Town every day.
In Guo Ziyi's view, when Feng Changqing was in office, the entire Anxi Protectorate was operating very well. Every official performed his or her duties, and there was no hindrance to the collaboration between them.
Among them, the role of one person cannot be ignored. He is the judge who took charge of the overall situation in the Anxi Protectorate after Feng Changqing left - Liu Zai.
Guo Ziyi had heard of Liu Zai's name before.
The latter once served as a supervisory censor and a governor in Dunhuang, but his reputation was not prominent in the court.
Guo Ziyi had heard that his greatest achievements were operating the Daqi trade route, managing Dunhuang in Shazhou, and coordinating ethnic conflicts, so that Dunhuang, as the connection between Anxi and the Central Plains, achieved long-term development in a few years.
But after actually meeting him, Guo Ziyi realized that Liu Zai, apart from being unable to lead troops in war, had made great achievements in other fields such as diplomacy, people's livelihood, agriculture, commerce, etc., and was actually a great talent.
Coupled with the extremely intelligent Kong You next to him, Guo Ziyi sometimes really doubted how Zhou Jun, with his sharp eyes and sharp eyes, managed to find such talented people.
On this day, Guo Ziyi was in his residence, checking the Anxi household registration records over the years.
Judge Liu Zai and Chief Shi Kong You came to the door together and sent someone to report.
After Guo Ziyi heard this, he couldn't help but feel strange.
Liu Zai and Kong You, as the right-hand men of Anxi Deputy Envoy, rarely come to report at the same time.
They appeared at the same time this time, I'm afraid they have something important to discuss.
Guo Ziyi ordered the two of them to be welcomed into the side hall.
Liu Zai took out a leather scroll covered with fire wax from his arms and presented it to Guo Ziyi.
The latter took the scroll and asked with some confusion: "This is...?"
Liu Zai: "Deputy Ambassador Guo, here are the Qiu Wei examination questions written by the Prime Minister himself."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Guo Ziyi: "Qiuwei test questions? Didn't it mean that Liangcheng Qiuwei and Anxi Qiuwei used two sets of test questions, and they were compiled by their own examiners?
"
Liu Zai: "It is indeed true. But among the more than thirty subjects in Anxi Qiuwei, including Ming Jing, Xiucai, Jinshi, etc., one subject is an exception."
Guo Ziyi: "Exception? Which subject is the exception?"
Liu Zai: "Business Studies."
Guo Ziyi was stunned for a moment, and after a lot of effort, he remembered that business studies and studying things were two new subjects added to the imperial examination this year at the request of the prime minister.
Thinking of this, Guo Ziyi was even more confused: "The examination questions for other subjects are all handled by the two places themselves. Why is it that the prime minister personally takes care of the business study?"
Kong You cupped his hands and said, "In his early years, the prime minister moved to each other's market and opened up the Daqi trade route. It is natural that he attaches great importance to business."
After hearing Kong You's answer, Guo Ziyi nodded unconsciously. This reason seemed reasonable.
Liu Zai added at this time: "Along with the business examination questions, there is also a personal letter from the Prime Minister."
Guo Ziyi took the letter from Liu Zai again, and after confirming it, opened the letter in front of them.
Zhou Jun only said a few words in the letter, to the general idea that in addition to some basic arithmetic and accounting, this business test also has a business strategy question that candidates need to complete.
Guo Ziyi had only heard that subjects such as Ming Jing and Jinshi had policy questions, and business studies also had policy questions. This was unexpected.
According to the request in the letter, Guo Ziyi, Liu Zai and Kong You opened the business test questions together.
In addition to the arithmetic questions, the three of them saw policy questions at the end of the test paper.
However, after taking a closer look, the three of them were silent.
There is no other reason, but this policy question is an unheard of problem.
This policy question is:
Which route is more beneficial to the country: focusing on agriculture and suppressing commerce or focusing on commerce and suppressing agriculture?
