During the three months of sweeping internal changes across Qingming, Wei Yuan shuttled endlessly between the Northern Mountain Gate, Qingming, and Jin's Southwestern Five Commanderies, wishing desperately for an instant-arrival teleportation array.
Yet such ultra-long-distance formations were immortal arrays that required transit through grotto-heavens. The higher the cultivator's realm, the greater the toll. Although Wei Yuan was currently in the Manifestation realm, stepping onto a teleportation array incurred costs calculated at the Scenery Command level. The expense was so staggering it made even him wince, leaving him no choice but to rely on his physical body to fly back and forth by sheer force.
Over the past three months, the new system had been operating smoothly.
In every major city, Wei Yuan established a Court of Punishment specifically dedicated to adjudicating legal cases, handling disputes among mortals as well as cases large and small. Lawsuits accepted by the Courts of Punishment were generally run through the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World first; those that were clear-cut and uncontroversial were decided on the spot, while major or heavily contested cases were submitted to the newly established Chief Surveillance Bureau for review.
The Chief Surveillance Bureau was based in Ding'an City and placed under Bao Yun's charge. No matter how complicated the case, and no matter how cunning or brutal the perpetrators, nothing could remain hidden before Bao Yun's Heavenly Demon Wondrous Manifestation.
In addition, Wei Yuan instituted circuit punishment courts that made regular rounds through the various towns and townships to handle local cases.
Now, all cases fell under the jurisdiction of the Courts of Punishment, stripping the local overseers of their judicial power. At the same time, any commoner was permitted to lodge a complaint with the circuit punishment courts. From that moment on, eight or nine-tenths of the local overseers' authority was stripped away, leaving them no room to stir up trouble.
Through this multifaceted approach, the nascent chaos within Qingming was finally nipped in the bud. Wei Yuan's azure qi and mortal fortune grew day by day, swiftly crossing the million mark once more.
By the time all this was properly arranged, late autumn had turned into early winter. On this day, Wei Yuan was deep in study of the art of the Five Elements Dao Soldiers when his heart stirred, sensing someone seeking an audience at the courtyard gate. Sweeping his divine sense across, he knew Yuan Qingyan and Niu Jinbao had arrived.
Together with several county magistrates originally dispatched as cannon fodder, these two had now become the backbone of Wei Yuan's regional governance. This time, Wei Yuan's main focus was Qingming, while the Southwestern Five Commanderies were to be secured step-by-step. He had sent these men ahead, with Yuan Qingyan overseeing the affairs of all five commanderies and Niu Jinbao and the others each taking charge of one commandery to scout the terrain and thoroughly map out local conditions.
In the blink of an eye, three months had passed, and they were returning to report on their progress. Wei Yuan invited them inside and had them take their seats.
After exchanging formal greetings, Yuan Qingyan spoke first: "In accordance with Your Excellency's orders, I traveled alongside General Cui to the Southwestern Five Commanderies to take over all military affairs. While General Cui operated openly, this subordinate adopted a disguise and spent two months traversing the critical locations of the five commanderies. By making discreet inquiries everywhere and bribing a number of petty officials in key posts, I have finally gained a clear picture of the assets across the five commanderies. Here is the inventory; please examine it, My Lord."
Wei Yuan took the document and found it packed with dense notations listing population figures, resources, terrain, military forces, aristocratic clans, and senior administrators across the five commanderies. The data was thorough and detailed, clearly reflecting a tremendous amount of legwork without a single idle moment over the past three months.
Aside from two commanderies that fell under the peripheral influence of the Xu family, the aristocratic power in the remaining three commanderies was deeply entrenched and interwoven. There were clans such as the Xu, Cui, Zhao, and Li families, as well as the private estates of capital officials and the clean-stream faction led by the Left and Right Prime Ministers. Among them, the verified farmland owned by the Left Prime Minister alone amounted to 1.8 million mu across the five commanderies, while the Right Prime Minister held somewhat less, at nine hundred thousand mu.
Together, the acreage owned by the clean-stream faction and the capital officials exceeded ten million mu, accounting for forty percent of the five commanderies. The aristocratic families also held ten million mu, another forty percent. Much of the remaining twenty percent was in the hands of wealthy households, local functionaries, and the clans of prominent cultivators, leaving the ordinary commoners with virtually no land of their own.
The taxes collected from the clean-stream faction and the noble houses were negligible; added together across all five commanderies, the sum fell short of one million taels—less than a single tael of silver for every twenty mu of land. That one million taels even included the revenue from mines, local specialties, and the mulberry silk industry that Wei Yuan had spent nearly two years promoting.
The local wealthy households and petty officials paid slightly more, but hardly by much. They could always find backing among the clean-stream faction or the noble houses, and whenever taxes were pressed too aggressively, many simply threw their allegiance behind those very same patrons.
After reviewing Yuan Qingyan's list, Wei Yuan retrieved another set of documents containing the figures recorded in the official government registries. Placing the two side by side, the discrepancy was glaring.
The actual farmland identified as belonging to the clean-stream faction and the capital officials came to at least ten million mu, yet the official registers recorded a mere four hundred thousand mu. The staggering difference left even Wei Yuan dumbfounded.
Wei Yuan gave the two sheets of jade paper a shake, remarking with profound disbelief, "Over ten million mu of land concealed down to four hundred thousand mu... How do they dare? Do they take everyone in the world for blind fools?"
Having spent years steeped in officialdom, Yuan Qingyan remarked, "The censors belong to the clean-stream faction as well. As long as they turn a blind eye, the King will not see it either. As for whether the rest of the world is blind, it matters not at all. Even if ordinary people see it, they have no voice and no way to reach the imperial ear. They might as well be truly blind, sparing themselves the grief of seeing too much."
Wei Yuan then turned his attention to the military. Across the five commanderies were two hundred thousand garrison troops, who constituted the regular army. On top of that were five hundred thousand registered militiamen—on paper, an imposing force. Yet how many of them were actual flesh-and-blood people was hard to say.
Yuan Qingyan said, "I selected three garrisons in each of the five commanderies and slipped in secretly to investigate. I discovered that the actual headcount was basically only twenty percent of the rolls. Of that twenty percent, half were able-bodied men, and the other half were the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the crippled."
"There were still able-bodied men?"
Yuan Qingyan replied, "They serve as a facade. Whenever superior officials arrive for an inspection, or when dealing with local bandits and vagrants, or standing guard at prominent spots like the city gates, they must rely on those men. As for the old, weak, sick, and crippled, each has their purpose. The old and weak make up the numbers during troop reviews; they cost virtually nothing to maintain, and many serve merely for a mouthful of food. With them present, the ranks appear vast and mighty. The crippled are kept to show profound care for the soldiers—proof that even when men are wounded and maimed on the battlefield, they are never abandoned."
Wei Yuan was somewhat surprised. "They even understand how to win over the army's morale? That's rather clever!"
Yuan Qingyan shook his head. "No, the crippled soldiers are strictly for the superiors' benefit. When those high-ranking clean-stream officials see these wounded men, they naturally assume their subordinates love their soldiers like their own children. The officers then have the maimed veterans recount their battle wounds before the banquets, making the table of scholars feel as though they had ridden into the fray themselves. Everyone from top to bottom is moved to tears, drinking their wine and composing their poems. Of course, once the drunkenness clears the next morning, everything returns to business as usual."
Wei Yuan fell silent for a moment before saying, "I stand enlightened."
Yuan Qingyan gave a chuckle. "Back in the day, I did the very same thing. Otherwise, I would never have become a commandery governor."
If the regular army was reduced to a tenth of its reported strength, the militia was bound to be in an equally dismal state.
Wei Yuan asked, "Have the checkpoints been established everywhere?"
Yuan Qingyan answered, "Checkpoints have already been set up at the primary thoroughfares leading in all directions from the five commanderies. For now, in accordance with Your Excellency's instructions, we are only levying taxes on small peddlers and merchants while leaving the caravans of the noble houses and clean-stream faction untouched. As a result, operations are proceeding smoothly. The actual volume of freight passing through has already dropped by forty percent."
Wei Yuan calculated the timing and pointed toward the northern frontier of the five commanderies. "The court's winter military pay will be arriving soon. Inform Cui Yu that he must intercept it at the border. From now on, that pay belongs to us; not a single tael of silver may slip into outside hands. Use force if necessary. It doesn't matter how many people die—I only care about securing the winter pay!"
Yuan Qingyan clasped his hands. "General Cui can be notified within two days."
Wei Yuan cast another glance at the map and said to Niu Jinbao, "The commandery you are responsible for looks like a tough nut to crack!"
Niu Jinbao rose immediately and said, "That commandery is largely populated by the relatives, disciples, and protégés of the capital officials from the clean-stream faction. Every single one of them is foul-tempered, pigheaded, and determined to shield their own regardless of right and wrong. It is indeed difficult to find an opening."
Wei Yuan said, "Then crack it by force. That commandery has eight major thoroughfares connecting to the surrounding regions. First, set up checkpoints on every single one of them. Regardless of status, seize eighty percent of all goods from passing merchant caravans to fund military expenditures. That will inevitably provoke conflict.
"Next, find a remote checkpoint, round up some bandits or condemned prisoners, kill them, and dress the corpses in our uniforms. Announce that the checkpoint was attacked and our men were slaughtered. Then, under the pretext of hunting down the murderers, arrest the entire households of the most stubborn and outspoken agitators in the area.
"Afterward, arrest the garrison's vice generals and guerrilla commanders on charges of dereliction of duty and failure to govern the realm. Once they are detained, immediately transport them to our main military camp. I will send men to coordinate with you. You must act swiftly. Do you understand?"
Niu Jinbao patted his chest at once and declared, "Rest assured, My Lord! When it comes to framing people, I know all the tricks!"
Chapter 745