Which of the following statements most accurately describes the position of the scholar-gentry under the Song dynasty?
a. The Confucian scholar-gentry continued to exist, but the examination system weakened noticeably causing the imperial bureaucracy to depend more and more on the aristocracy.
b. The scholar-gentry attempted to revive warlordism, which led to the fall of the Song.
c. The Song continued to rely on the Confucian scholar-gentry, but more rigorous examination systems resulted in fewer men entering the civil service as a result of education.
d. The Song emperors came to rely increasingly on the military as defense of the borders placed less emphasis on the role of intellectual ideology and more on warfare.
e. The domination of the scholar-gentry over its aristocratic and Buddhist rivals was fully secured in the Song era.
Answer: E