Throughout July and August of the 14th year of Zhengzheng, the Mingjiao army continued to attack cities and plunder territory in Henan.
The southernmost point reached Nanyang and connected with the Mingjiao Central Military Region through Xiangyang.
The northernmost point went east to capture Lankao, and defended the Yellow River line without crossing the border again.
The eastern end ended at Shangqiu, where a heavily armed group of about 100,000 people was assembled, led by Fan Yao, ready to enter the Jiangbei Province of Henan, which later became Anhui.
Don't worry about the westernmost end. It already borders Shaanxi and can be taken over by the Shaanxi New Training Army.
In early July, the new chief assistant Li Jiang issued a recruitment order.
The recruitment order requires that all ethnic groups be treated equally, and as long as they agree with the Ming religion's philosophy of rebuilding a new world, those who long for peace can join the Ming army after undergoing training.
As soon as this order came out, the Shaomin, Semu people, and surrendered Yuan soldiers in the territory controlled by the Mingjiao all dropped their hearts. Although many people were unwilling to sacrifice their lives for the Mingjiao, they knew that their lives were saved.
Of course, there are also many people who can only serve as soldiers but have no skills. They only care about eating food and not fighting for whom, so they took off their original clothes and entered the new military camp of the Ming Cult.
In just one month, Mingjiao recruited nearly 200,000 people in Henan. This was due to the inconvenience of communication in ancient times and the difficulty of transmitting orders far away.
According to estimates from the Military Aircraft Department, in two months, when Shanxi and Shaanxi also receive the order, the central Mingjiao army will exceed one million.
On the first day of August, Li Jiang's second fire started, and he issued his second official order, "Order to Seek the Wise Men from All Over the World".
In the official order, he called on the Han people to come forward and join the Mingjiao and do their part to overthrow the tyranny and establish a harmonious society.
This order was sent by fast horse to the areas controlled by Mingjiao, including several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River.
After the news spread, scholars from all over the country came in droves.
Why has no scholar ever thought of joining the Ming Cult before, but now there is a surge again?
This is because the Mingjiao was a close church organization in the past. It is true that there are smart people who can see that the Mingjiao has become a trend, but the prerequisite for joining the Mingjiao is to change their beliefs. This alone blocked 99% of the scholars.
Scholars usually do not believe in ghosts and gods, but only respect their ancestors, or believe in Buddhism and Taoism, but not Mingjiao. Mingjiao has appeared as a cult for hundreds of years, and disputes involving orthodoxy are life-and-death. Therefore, no one wants to be
Ancestors, fellow disciples, family members, and friends poke their backs and sell themselves to get ahead.
Only "scholars" like Tong Derong who could not survive would throw themselves into the arms of Mingjiao regardless.
Well now, the official order of Li Jiang's chief minister made it clear: No matter your origin, only your talents will be considered, and you will not be forced to change your beliefs. As long as you are willing to resist violence and work conscientiously, Mingjiao will not hesitate to reward you with high positions.
Generally speaking, scholars are relatively well-informed. Before September, thousands of scholars had arrived in Kaifeng.
Mingjiao fell into the trouble of happiness.
How could it be possible for so many people to arrange it? Besides, each one of them looked like there were five or six of them, and they spoke in a straight line, which made the head of the military officer Zhang Jing who was in charge of the primary election swell three times.
Li Jiang felt that Zhang Jing's office was too close to the military aircraft check-in room and was noisy all day like a vegetable market, so he ordered Tong Derong to find another place to receive the reception.
Tong Derong did not dare to neglect. These people were all invited by the chief minister's official order. How they were dealt with was related to the implementation of the chief minister's official order.
So he found a good location for the Confucius Temple and crammed all these people in.
The scholars had no objection at this time. After all, most of them grew up reading the books of the Holy Master. How would it be appropriate to make noises in his temple?
The military aircraft department was quiet, but Tong Derong was sitting on the bus.
How can he test people with the little knowledge he has in his belly?
There is such a strange scene that often occurs in the Confucius Temple: Tong Derong is sitting in the hall and has just asked one or two questions, and then is interrupted by the gushing voices of the scholars in the hall. Tong Derong occasionally has different opinions, and he will be immediately criticized.
The body is covered with no skin, and there is no place to look at.
Tong Derong was so angry that he wanted to quit, but his remaining sense immediately stopped him.
He is very clear about the significance of Li Jiang sending himself to select talents. First, trust yourself. This is nothing to say. I am a lackey of the chief minister and I am proud. Second, win the hearts and minds of the scholars for the chief minister. They can be regarded as the chief minister in the future.
One faction. Third, select truly capable people, and don’t let people pretend to be good.
Tong Derong, with the heroic sentiment of "If I don't go to hell, who will go to hell?", he let the saliva spray on his face without getting angry. After he finished spraying, he wiped his face and asked with concern: "Are you thirsty? Do you want more?"
Would you like some more tea?"
His good attitude allowed the scholars to fully display their knowledge, from Pangu's creation of heaven to the Immortal Heaven, from the Three Tombs and Five Classics to the Four Books and Five Classics.
The scholars were happy, but it inevitably brought time inefficiency. At the end of August, he only selected five people.
Tong Derong was shocked when he took stock of things at the end of the month. He slapped his thigh and was extremely frustrated. Isn’t this delaying Enfu’s work? In two days, September 15th, how can I explain the work progress when Enfu asks about it?
Tong Derong circled around the room like an ant on a hot pot. Finally, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and decide to tell the truth.
He has followed Li Jiang for the longest time and has figured out Li Jiang's requirements for his subordinates: I don't ask you to have much ability, but I only ask you to be "sincere"! If you make a mistake in doing something, as long as you don't shirk or cover up, you can usually just curse a few words.
Otherwise, haha. Tong Derong didn't dare to think about it. Anyway, two Zhang Jings sent to serve in the army before, and Tong Derong doesn't know whether they are alive or not.
When he urgently asked to see Li Jiang and explained the situation, as he expected, Li Jiang did not punish him, and what was even more surprising was that he did not scold him, but frowned and pondered.
After a while, Li Jiang said: "Derong, I can't blame you for this. It's because I didn't think it through. You are a business person, so talking to that scholar is putting the cart before the horse."
A soldier will die for his confidant! These words struck a chord in Tong Derong's heart. He burst into tears on the spot and choked up: "Thank you, Chief Minister, for your understanding. I am not doing things well. Please take back your previous life."
Li Jiang waved his hand and said comfortingly: "Derong, I can rest assured that you will do things, and you can also rest assured, I will not change my generals on the spot."
"I...I..." Tong Derong burst into tears and was speechless. When his knees became weak, he came up to hug his thighs.
But how could his little martial arts compete with an innate master? Li Jiang's feet surged with energy, and he suddenly appeared behind his desk and said seriously: "Stop, Derong. I'll give you a trick, and all these problems will be solved."
Tong Derong immediately stopped, stood up, wiped away his tears and said, "What move?"
"Exam" Li Jiang said with a mysterious look.
Tong Derong was stunned for a moment and said: "Imperial examination? Who sets the questions? I can't understand their answers, how can I choose the best? Chief Assistant, don't tease me, please think of another way." He kneeled on his knees as he spoke.
He felt weak and had to kneel down to wipe his tears.
Li Jiang shouted: "Get up. Are you a pig? Who told you to take a test on the Four Books and Five Classics? Just take a test on policy theory and current affairs!"
"Well, that seems to be a good method." Tong Derong's knees were half bent and he could no longer kneel down.