Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 66 Persuasion

"However, you made many modifications to it, and it's almost identical to the current situation on the border," Gu Tingye said after walking in and examining it carefully for a while.

In ancient times, maps were prohibited from circulation, and the Song Dynasty even listed maps as contraband, prohibiting their sale.

When Jing Ke attempted to assassinate the King of Qin, the map that revealed the dagger when the map was unrolled referred to the map of the State of Yan.

Even though the Sheng family were officials, they were not allowed to possess the latest maps without permission.

Maps from the early days of the People's Republic of China are quite old and have little practical value or significance, so they don't pose any taboo.

However, Sheng Changbai made many markings and modifications on the map, making it almost indistinguishable from the current situation on the northern border.

Sheng Changfeng curled his lip and said, "The imperial examinations don't test these things. Isn't it a waste of time to spend energy on this?"

Gu Tingye frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "That's not quite right. There are many examples in our dynasty of civil officials commanding the army. If one is only good at administration but not military affairs, one will not go far."

"Then after passing the imperial examination, we can spend some time studying the 'Complete Essentials of Martial Arts'," Sheng Changfeng retorted.

It was a tradition in the Song Dynasty for civil officials to lead military officials. In some prefectures near the border, the military commissioners were all civil officials.

The military governor, who held both military and political power, was a true regional governor.

Even in other places, local militia must obey the orders of their local commanders at critical moments.

Civil officials weren't stupid either. They knew that to maintain this suppression over military generals, the prerequisite was that the civil officials in charge of the army, even if they didn't win the battle, at least had to be able to keep things stable at crucial moments.

If the military commissioners in the border prefectures don't even understand the most basic military strategy and often suffer defeats, losing cities and territories as soon as the enemy attacks, would the emperor still allow civil officials to lead troops?

In fact, while the civil administration led the military, the court suffered more defeats than victories in foreign wars and remained in a weak position.

Overall, however, the situation has stabilized.

This is the key reason why successive dynasties have maintained this situation.

As the saying goes, many of the emperor's decisions were made in order to ensure the longevity of his dynasty.

Military generals in command of troops can easily become powerful and influential, while civilian officials in command of troops do not need to worry about this.

Because this situation was stable, successive dynasties maintained this policy.

If civil officials couldn't even defend themselves, they would have made the necessary adjustments long ago.

The reason why civil officials were able to stabilize the situation and build a good border defense system was largely due to the existence of the "Wujing Zongyao" (Complete Essentials of Military Classics).

This book can be said to have been specially written by civil officials to suppress military generals.

In ancient times, the system of military generals relied more on family traditions.

Throughout history, there have been many generals who started from the bottom, accumulated experience, and gradually became famous.

This was most common in the early Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang and most of the founding generals were illiterate, let alone knowledgeable of military strategy.

He learned and grew up gradually through war, eventually becoming a renowned general.

Although many famous generals in ancient times left behind military books, most of these books expounded on military strategy and tactics.

It lacks the most basic things.

For example, setting up camp, logistics management, and how to train troops.

These are especially important in military campaigns.

These are precisely the qualities that civil officials lack when leading troops. Even without studying military strategy, a slightly intelligent person can come up with some ways to win a war.

But when asked to give specific instructions, they were completely lost.

This explains why there were many strategists in history who could offer insightful and logical advice, and whose strategies, if followed, could lead to victory.

But if you let them lead and command the troops themselves, they're completely lost.

They probably don't even understand the most basic military formations.

The "Complete Essentials of Military Classics" systematically teaches these basic knowledge.

If a civil official thoroughly understands this and possesses a certain level of intelligence, it is unlikely that he will be invincible in battle, but he will have no problem setting up defenses.

Therefore, the "Complete Essentials of Military Classics" became a book that almost every scholar would study after entering officialdom.

Unless you have no great ambitions and only want to be a minor official.

Otherwise, once an official reaches a certain rank, many of the positions they hold are related to military and political affairs.

"If everyone thought like you, when would the Song Dynasty ever be able to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?" Gu Tingye said calmly.

"I…"

Sheng Changfeng was speechless for a moment. He realized that Gu Tingye was a descendant of a military hero. If he belittled a military general in front of Gu Tingye, wouldn't that just upset Gu Tingye?

It's not that he's stupid, but rather that this is the prevailing social atmosphere in the Song Dynasty, and scholars are deeply influenced by it, with their contempt for military officers ingrained in their very bones.

Sheng Changfeng was too ashamed to stay any longer, so he made an excuse and slipped away.

"I'm sorry to have made Zhonghuai laugh at me," Sheng Changbai said apologetically.

"There's no need to take it to heart, that's just how things are these days," Gu Tingye said, shaking his head slightly.

Wang You quickly changed the subject, saying, "Brother Zhonghuai, you just recognized at a glance that the geomantic map my cousin modified is not much different from the current situation on the northern border. Could it be that you have seen the current geomantic map of the north?"

"I have indeed seen it."

Gu Tingye said solemnly, "My ambition is to lead an army in the future and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!"

"Brother Zhonghuai's ambition to rebuild the border barrier for the Song Dynasty is truly admirable!" Wang You said, cupping his hands in respect.

Wang You's words were not flattery. Regardless of whether Gu Tingye could ultimately achieve it, the fact that he had the ambition and later served in the army and fought against the Liao army was worthy of his respect.

Sheng Changbai said, "Since Zhonghuai has such ambitions, why not abandon martial arts and pursue a literary career? Only in this way can you better realize your aspirations!"

"This…"

Gu Tingye quickly understood what Sheng Changbai meant upon hearing this.

If he joins the army directly, relying on his family's influence in the military, it won't take many years for him to gain a foothold in the army.

However, given the situation in the Song Dynasty, the decision to send troops to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun was always in the hands of civil officials.

Even if he becomes the top military figure like the Duke of England, so what?

If the civil officials object, the chances of the imperial court sending troops to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun are extremely slim.

Even if the imperial court really had this idea, so what?

Even with the tradition of civil officials leading military officials, he would still be subject to the constraints of civil officials.

But it would be different if he entered officialdom through the imperial examination.

They could integrate into the civil service and become "one of their own," and with their family's prestige in the military, they could control the army better than those civil officials.

"You seem to be oversimplifying things," Wang You said.

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, both Sheng Changbai and Gu Tingye looked at Wang You.

"Civil officials have a fixed term in their positions. Have you considered this?" Wang You asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

He initially didn't quite understand why Gu Tingye abandoned martial arts for literature.

Although he abandoned military service for a literary career, he eventually joined the army.

Moreover, by sheer coincidence, the years he missed had no impact on his future.

On the contrary, his acquaintance with Zhao Zongquan led to his meteoric rise in rank.

But those were purely coincidental. If Gu Tingye hadn't met Zhao Zongquan, he would have been in his mid-twenties by the time he failed the exam.

How many years would it take to accumulate merits and seniority by joining the army again?