The Rise of Iceland - Vol 3 Chapter 465

April 12, today is the day when Sweden conducts the unified imperial examination in Stockholm.

The bustling capital in the past has become even more crowded today. Businessmen from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Russia, Poland, France and other countries were shocked to see such a lively scene after the merchant ships arrived at the port.

Since Sweden broke through Amsterdam and created the “Msterdam Rebellion”, the Netherlands, Europe’s “champagne market”, has completely declined.

Although Amsterdam’s food processing industry and commodity market are still the leading industries, the neighboring Copenhagen and London have already robbed more than half of the business. If it is not for the colonial islands of West India to provide commodities, the remaining colonies of East India provide goods. Spices, the Netherlands will fall into the doomsday situation of bankruptcy.

Therefore, the largest and most prosperous city in Europe is no longer Amsterdam alone, but Copenhagen, London and Amsterdam.

But in the eyes of businessmen from all over the world, not only the three cities, but also Amsterdam, which was at its peak before, will not be more prosperous than the current Stockholm.

Walking out of the pier, you can know from the hot topics in the newspapers and the so-called Vikings in the Nordic countries without asking. Stockholm is so lively because of what Olaf the Great did to select capable and literate people from the civilian class to serve as officials. In the imperial examinations, children from small and wealthy families in all provinces and cities in Sweden have come to apply for the examination. There are still people who have little culture but think they are skilled craftsmen. In the same way, he passed the examination to assign an official position, but it is said that he can also do it for a small official.

Knowing this situation, businessmen from all over the world are very envious, and there have also been many changes in Olaf, the “Nordic dragon” who has been promoted as an adulterous queen dowager outside the Baltic Sea, oppressing the young master, and conspiring to usurp the throne.

Most of these businessmen are not from a high background. Although some are not poor, they are only the illegitimate children of big families. If they were in Northern Europe, they would definitely be able to gain fame and gain a good future with their knowledge.

Since Olaf ascended the throne of the Great Emperor last year, many countries have changed the Nordic giant bear to the “Nordic giant dragon”, because the dragon is a villain with the devil in the Christian culture, so this name is obviously not a compliment.

…

Stefan Andersson, who has been selling newspapers at the dock, and has learned various information by reading newspapers, has improved his knowledge today, instead of continuing to sell newspapers. Instead, he changed into clothes with only three patches. With an ink bottle, a quill, and a charcoal pen, he followed the crowd to the “Imperial Examination Yuan”.

The Imperial Examination Yuan was the castle where Olaf the Great lived when he was still the regent of the godfather. Although it was not luxurious, the area was large enough. At this time, it was changed to the Ministry of Education and the Imperial Examination Yuan, which was enough to accommodate tens of thousands of candidates at the same time.

The Swedish Iron Cavalry was temporarily dispatched to the Imperial Examination Yuan to maintain order and to check the candidates. From 6:00 in the morning, when the sky was bright, the candidates entered in groups, and it was not over until 10:00.

Stefan Andersson is 18 years old this year, and just meets the qualifications for reference. He is the last batch of people to enter the Imperial Examination Yuan. He entered the tall castle, and was led by soldiers in iron armor into a large palace. It was full of blankets, and there was a candidate lying on almost every blanket, and everyone sat on the floor.

Stefan Andersson quickly found an empty spot in the corner and went to sit down. After about ten minutes, he heard a “ding” from the iron piano outside the door, and there was no sound inside or outside the hall.

A tall and fat man walked into the main hall and said, “Now the exam starts. There will be three exam papers from morning to afternoon…”

After saying some exam rules, the man left. Others may not know it, but Stefan Andersson, who has been in the dock all the year round, recognized the man as His Royal Highness Olaf, the elder brother of Olaf the Great. He was arrested by Olaf. His Royal Highness Raff was appointed Duke of Norway. He was a local emperor in Trondheim. Now he was transferred back by the emperor to be the chief examiner of the imperial examination.

After a while, the Swedish iron cavalry walked through the hall with a stack of snow-white papers. After a while, they arrived in front of Stefan Andersson. Stefan Andersson hurriedly got up, took a piece of paper, and sat back on the blanket. On the top of the paper, there was a question written in Swedish: “Hans dug a pond and poured one-tenth of its capacity into the pond every hour. Water volume, when the water in the pond exceeds half of its capacity, the infiltration rate will double, how long does it take Hans to fill the pond?”

Stefan Andersson scratched his head, feeling a little complicated. After thinking for a while, he vaguely felt that he had caught something, and said to himself: “This seems to be a math problem, so difficult, no wonder it was written on such a large piece of paper, it seems I asked to bring charcoal, just for some math problems.

Uh, since the infiltration speed before half and after half is different, then I will calculate it separately, and finally add it up…”

After thinking hard for a long time, he finally had an idea in his heart. Stefan Andersson picked up a charcoal pen to write and draw on the paper, and began to calculate.

In the castle, there are 8 test rooms in the main hall where Stefan Andersson is located, each of which has thousands of candidates. The first test relies on mathematics questions, and the questions are written by Olaf himself.

At 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the iron piano sounded, and the soldiers patrolling the examination room began to collect the papers. No matter whether anyone was still writing, they stretched out their hands when they got there.

After smashing three papers in a row, no one in the Stefan Andersson examination room dared to delay any more, and hurriedly presented the papers with both hands.

Stefan Andersson had written the test questions half an hour ago, and re-calculated it several times without worrying about it. He was relieved when he saw the paper handed in.

It’s time to rest after taking the papers

^0^ During the time, the candidates rushed out in a hurry, most of them went to the toilet, and a small number of people hid outside to eat, or discussed the test questions with people they knew.

Everyone’s face is different, there are those who are upset and regretful, there are those who are complacent, there are those who are distressed and frustrated, and there are those who are lost. Stefan Andersson is different from them, he just has a relaxed look on his face. , No matter what the result is, he thinks that he has done his best. If he doesn’t pass the exam this time, he will continue to go back to the dock to sell newspapers obediently and wait for the next imperial examination.

The second test started at 1 o’clock. The content of the test was writing ability and word organization ability. Stefan Andersson read the newspaper every day, and this test paper was even more difficult for him.

Waiting for the last test at 3 o’clock, there is still only one question on the paper: “How did the Swedish Empire rise from a small country in the northern part of the Europa continent that was united by the Kalmar Union to a Nordic power, and how did it rise to a world power? Please Combined with history, several important turning points and key decision-making policies at that time were written.”

The answer to this question is based on history, and candidates must have a solid foundation and a detailed understanding of Swedish history.

But what Olaf really needs to test is his comprehension and understanding of the policy of strengthening the country, which is the requirement for selecting outstanding political talents for the country.

Stefan Andersson read the exam questions several times. Seeing that everyone around him was scratching his head, the corner of his mouth was smiling, and his eyes flashed with confidence.

As a small connoisseur who has been selling newspapers in the dock all the year round, Stefan Andersson has not only been learning to recite various information in the newspaper, but also likes political and historical articles the most, especially Austrian Raff’s annual contribution to the Viking News is even more reversible.

In addition, he has always listened to foreign businessmen discussing the actions of Gustav II and Olaf, so he has a clear context for how to answer this question.

Looking around, he saw that only a few people were burying their heads in writing. Stefan Andersson, who often felt inferior because of his poor background, couldn’t help but feel a little proud. He set the ink bottle on fire, stroking the flat paper, and solemnly picked it up. The quill dipped in water and fluently wrote the first sentence on the test paper—

“The rise of the Swedish Empire can be summed up in one sentence as a monarch descended from heaven. At every turning point of the empire’s strength, a wise monarch appeared. With the leadership of a great wise monarch, the development of the empire was correct and rapid, even in a relatively harsh environment. The north, which is cold, barren, and has few products, is still able to prosper in national strength. It must be said that it is protected by God, prefers the empire, and most of the descendants are Mingjun.

In particular, the current emperor Olaf the Great led the Swedish Empire to become the world’s first-class power. The process of this powerful country is divided into three stages. The first stage is the period of the Kalmar Union…”

Dear, this chapter is over, I wish you a happy reading! ^0^