Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 944 Gao Yao’s new idea, imperial examination!

Gaoyao's decision to appoint Duosi as its leader was no impromptu act. Duosi's achievements were built on solid military experience. Born in South Vietnam, he was one of the first local chieftains and generals to join Gaoyao, a testament to the Gaoyao regime's successful integration of South Vietnam and its trust in its personnel. During the early stages of the rebellion suppression and expansion, Duosi and his troops, familiar with the mountainous terrain, played an irreplaceable role.

Especially during the campaign to capture the Zhentuo region, while Cao Shen commanded the central army, it was the mountain troops under Duosi who truly executed the tactics on the front lines, exploiting the complex mountainous terrain to stall, divide, and ultimately trap the imperial army of over 60,000. Their elusive nature and mastery of the terrain enabled them to set ambushes, cut off supplies, and launch night raids, exhausting and demoralizing the outnumbered imperial forces and laying a solid foundation for their ultimate victory. This battle solidified Duosi's reputation as a mountain warfare expert.

In subsequent battles, Duosi's troops repeatedly achieved remarkable feats, inflicting great hardship on the Qin regular army. In the crucial grand strategic operation of "surprise attack on Hanzhong via the Himalayas," orchestrated by Xiao He, Duosi participated as a key auxiliary commander.

Although that strategic detour eventually led to an unfavorable situation of being surrounded due to the leakage of information, Duosi and his subordinates still made indelible military achievements with their tenacity and survivability in the extremely harsh plateau and mountainous environment, as well as their courageous fighting during the breakout.

In the final battle, personally commanded by Gao Yao, that would determine the fate of the world, while the large-scale corps clashes ostensibly dominated, the mountain troops trained by Duosi and deployed across the various armies played a crucial role in countless ambushes, interceptions, harassment of enemy logistics, and reconnaissance operations on the vast periphery of the battlefield. Mastering the art of jungle camouflage and concealment, they infiltrated the enemy like ghosts, gathering intelligence or striking sudden and devastating blows, roiling the enemy rear and providing significant support to the front lines.

Previously, Gao Yao had deliberately dispersed these valuable special forces, especially mountain troops, and assigned them to various regular army corps as tactical supplements and reinforcements, hoping to achieve remarkable results on specific battlefields. But this time, Gao Yao's strategic thinking clearly took a leap forward. He decided not to disperse these "trump cards" but to concentrate them into an independent, highly specialized "special forces group army."

This army doesn't need sheer numbers; its 50,000-man strength emphasizes supreme quality and coordinated combat capabilities. The devastating impact of heavy cavalry, the ironclad defense of heavy armor, the agile assaults of rattan armor, the ghostly infiltration and control of mountain troops, and the behind-the-enemy-line raids of elite special forces—these combined units will play the dual role of "strategic anvil" and "scalpel" in future wars.

Deployed at critical moments, they were capable of turning the tide of battle and executing exceedingly difficult missions beyond the reach of conventional forces. This powerful force was directly commanded by Duosi, and ultimately controlled by Gao Yao himself. This undoubtedly added another significant weight to Gao Yao's royal power and marked a crucial step forward in the kingdom's military system's move toward greater professionalism, refinement, and a high degree of centralization.

Gao Yao sat upright on the throne, his voice steady and commanding, echoing through the empty hall as he laid out the new dynasty's power structure and operating rules. "As for the promotion lists and position change lists for each army group," he said slowly, glancing over the civil and military officials standing solemnly below. "Each army group will submit their own reports to the Ministry of War, which will review them and then report them to the Cabinet for processing."

This order, seemingly simple, embodied his carefully considered ruling wisdom. He knew that the stability of a new dynasty lay not only in its vast territory, but also in an efficient bureaucracy with clearly defined responsibilities. Beyond the top of the pyramid—the cabinet, the six ministries, and the heads of the various army groups—who needed his personal control and balance, the number of people below him who needed to be appointed was enormous, often reaching hundreds.

The talents, conduct, and connections to various factions of these mid- and lower-level officials were so complex and intertwined that attempting to fully explore them in a single day at court would not only be prohibitively time-consuming, but would also likely delay government affairs due to endless debate. This goes without saying, considering the two levels below, which numbered nearly ten thousand people, not to mention the county governors, who were considered high-ranking officials. Therefore, Gao Yao established clear boundaries for his responsibilities: he was solely responsible for reviewing the top brass and a few special individuals crucial to the nation's destiny. This was both a strategic approach to managing the lower ranks while prioritizing the higher-ups and a necessary measure to ensure the efficient operation of the state machinery.

After making these announcements, Gao Yao promptly dismissed the court, allowing the officials with differing motives to leave, but leaving behind only the cabinet members. As the hall doors slowly closed, leaving only his most core team inside, the atmosphere shifted from public solemnity to private heaviness.

"Alright, now that you've all followed me for a long time," Gao Yao's tone softened, hinting at a discussion with his old subordinates. "I have another idea I plan to implement next year: organizing a scientific expedition."

"Scientific expedition?"

These two words, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, immediately sent ripples through the cabinet. Those present, such as Xiao He, Cao Shen, Zhang Liang, and even Wu She, who had raised objections, all wore expressions of confusion and inquiry. This wasn't surprising; after all, the actual creation of the imperial examination system during the Sui Dynasty was still many years away. These people, familiar with the system of recommendation, conscription, and the awarding of titles for military merit, naturally couldn't grasp the groundbreaking institutional innovation of the "imperial examination."

Gao Yao had anticipated their reaction and confidently explained, "Simply put, we're openly recruiting talent from across the country. We're establishing a hierarchical selection mechanism, starting with each county. Only those who pass the rigorous assessment can progress through the ranks. County-level assessments will be conducted first, and those who pass will be eligible to take the prefectural exams. The best at the county level will be sent to Xianyang to take part in the unified examination held by the imperial court, known as the Grand Examination. Finally, those who stand out and rank high in the Grand Examination will be personally assessed by me in the palace. This is the 'Palace Examination.'"