Han Ji

Chapter 140 Each Displays Their Unique Abilities

On his first day in the household office, Jian Yong encountered trouble.

The problem isn't with the books, it's with the people.

The three old clerks in the Household Revenue Department, surnamed Qian, Sun, and Li, were all veterans from the Su Gu era, having served for over a decade. When Jian Yong announced the need to survey the land and re-verify the household registers, the three men looked at each other in bewilderment.

Old Clerk Qian coughed and said, "Registrant Jian, the land accounts... involve a great deal of issues, shouldn't we postpone it?"

"Slowly?" Jian Yong flipped through the fish-scale register. "This register records 280,000 mu of reclaimed land in Hanzhong. But when I went to the countryside last month, I saw that in Mianyang and Xixiang counties alone, no less than 50,000 mu had been newly reclaimed. Where are these fields?"

Old Clerk Sun lowered his head: "Or...or perhaps there are unreported households..."

"How many hidden accounts are there?"

The three of them fell silent.

Jian Yong closed the booklet: "You three are all veteran officials, and you know best the true state of the land in Hanzhong. I'm not here to investigate your old accounts, but to settle the new ones. If you help me, all past transgressions will be forgiven. If you obstruct me..."

He took out a scroll of silk from his bosom and unfolded it.

It was a fragment of a secret ledger copied by Li Hui, which recorded that in a certain year and month, Qian, Sun, and Li accepted bribes from a powerful local tyrant and altered the acreage of land.

The three men turned pale and knelt down with a thud.

"Registrar, spare me!"

Jian Yong helped them up: "Get up. I don't want your lives, I want the truth."

Old Clerk Qian, tears streaming down his face, said, "Registrar, it's not that we don't want to report it, it's that we dare not! Which of the powerful families in Hanzhong doesn't have hidden land? If we report it, they..."

"They listen to me now," Jian Yong interrupted. "Wang Chun and Du Xi have already taken the lead in donating land; what other families dare not follow suit?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'll give you three days to make a list of all the hidden farmland and households in the entire prefecture. I'll fill in any gaps. If you're worried about retaliation, I'll send troops to protect your families."

The old clerk, Sun, asked in a trembling voice, "Is the registrar truly telling the truth?"

"Really?" Jian Yong took out three bags of money from his sleeve, each containing one hundred gold coins. "This is an advance payment. After the matter is completed, it will be doubled."

Coercion and inducement.

The three men exchanged glances, gritting their teeth: "We... are willing to fight to the death!"

Three days later, the list was presented. It listed 80,000 mu of hidden farmland and 8,000 hidden households in Hanzhong. Jian Yong gasped after reading it.

"So many..."

Old Official Qian said in a low voice, "This is still a conservative estimate. There are some powerful figures that even we dare not investigate."

"Investigate." Jian Yong picked up his pen. "Start with what you dare not investigate."

He mobilized two hundred soldiers under Zhang Wu's command, along with the clerks of the Ministry of Revenue, and dispatched them to various villages. Upon arriving at each village, they first presented the official documents from the prefecture, then measured the land and verified the households. If any powerful local figures tried to obstruct them, the soldiers stood with their hands on their swords, remaining silent and simply watching.

Most of the powerful figures backed down.

For the few who were truly resistant, Jian Yong personally visited them. He brought either Wang Chun or Du Xi, who were now very proactive in helping to persuade them. Their words were very direct:

"The land can't be hidden. If we offer it up now, we can still gain a good reputation and enjoy the benefits of rent and tax reductions. But if we wait for Magistrate Liu to investigate in person... then things won't look good."

After half a month, 80,000 mu of hidden land and 5,000 hidden households were identified. Jian Yong registered them one by one, issued land deeds, and set rents.

When an old farmer received his land deed, his hands trembled so much he could barely hold it. He knelt down and wept, crying, "I've farmed other people's land my whole life, and now... now I have my own land!"

Jian Yong helped him up: "Plant well, and you'll be exempt from taxes for three years."

"Thank you, Registrar! Thank you, Magistrate!"

When the news reached the prefectural government, Yang Song looked at the newly compiled yellow register and smiled wryly: "Registrar Jian, you've now... offended all the powerful figures in Hanzhong."

"If we don't offend them, we'll offend the people." Jian Yong said, fiddling with his abacus. "The people have land, and the powerful have less profit, but it's still better than the people having no way to survive and rising up in rebellion."

He looked up at Yang Song: "Yang Hucao, what do you say?"

Yang Song wiped his sweat: "Yes, yes."

He understood that Jian Yong was giving him a warning; the Yang family also had hidden land, but they had offered it up early.

He recruited Cao, a thief, and his first act was to ignite public order.

In the streets of Nanzheng, there were local thugs who specialized in extorting protection money and bullying the local market. Their leader was a scarred man named Hu Che, who had fifty or sixty men under his command and was in cahoots with several clerks in the prefectural government.

On his third day in office, Qian Zhao robbed an old woman selling vegetables of her purse in the street, and was caught by patrolling soldiers. When the soldiers tried to arrest him, Hu Che arrogantly shouted, "Do you know who I am? The clerk is my cousin!"

The soldiers didn't waste any words and locked it immediately.

That afternoon, the court was convened. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hall, all there to watch the spectacle.

Hu Che knelt down in the hall, still defiantly shouting, "You thief Cao! My cousin is Chen Lun, the Chief Clerk! Try touching me!"

Qian Zhao ignored him and asked the old woman, "How much money did he rob you of?"

"Thirty or thirty coins...that's for my grandson's medicine..." the old woman cried.

Qian Zhao looked at Hu Che: "Do you admit it?"

"So what if you admit it?" Hu Che scoffed. "Thirty coins, I'll pay you back!"

"According to the 'Theft Law,' robbing property worth ten coins or more is punishable by eighty strokes of the cane and three years of imprisonment." Qian Zhao threw down the order, "Drag him away and beat him."

Hu Che was stunned: "You dare?!"

Two soldiers stepped forward, dragged him outside, and began to beat him. The wooden planks struck his flesh with a loud cracking sound. Hu Che started cursing, but after twenty strokes he began begging for mercy, and after forty strokes he fell silent.

After the beating, Qian Zhao stood up, walked outside the hall, and said to the crowd, "From now on, in the streets of Nanzheng, anyone who oppresses the people or forcibly seizes property will be punished according to this rule."

He paused, then said, "If anyone claims to be a relative of someone in the prefecture, write down their name and report it to me. I will verify each one and take action against them."

The people were in uproar.

That night, Chen Lun requested an audience with Liu Bei.

"Captain, although that scoundrel has broken the law, his crime does not warrant eighty strokes of the cane..." he probed.

"Not enough?" Liu Bei was looking at the map, not even looking up. "Chen Gongcao, you are Gongcao, you should know more about the law than I do. Robbery of thirty coins is punishable by eighty strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude. The law is written very clearly."

Chen Lun choked.

Liu Bei raised his eyes: "Or does Chen Gongcao believe that the law should vary from person to person?"

"This humble official dares not..."

"It's good that you wouldn't dare." Liu Bei lowered his head and continued looking at the map. "Chen Gongcao, you are a smart man. A smart man should know who calls the shots in Hanzhong now."

Chen Lun's back was soaked with sweat: "This humble official understands... This humble official takes his leave."

His legs were weak when he withdrew.

Qian Zhao waited for him under the corridor and handed him a scroll of case files.

"Chen Gongcao, this is a fabricated list of crimes committed over the years, totaling seventeen counts, involving assault, extortion, and the forced abduction of women. According to the law, he should be executed." His voice was calm. "But I only had him flogged. You should understand why."

Chen Lun took the case file, his hands trembling.

"Thank you... thank you for showing mercy, scoundrel Cao."

"It's not about showing mercy," Qian Zhao said, looking at him. "It's about letting you know what you should do from now on."

Chen Lun bowed deeply and staggered away.

Qian Zhao turned around and looked at the brightly lit streets in the distance.

The night wind carried the scent of everyday life, but also a subtle hint of bloodshed.

He knew this was just the beginning.

It got even colder at the end of November.

Liu Bei inspected the various camps. The new look of the county soldiers was evident, their shouts during drills were deafening; salt well production was steadily increasing; the household registers were piled up halfway up the house; and the streets were orderly.

He stood on the city wall for a long time.

Guan Yu, standing nearby, said, "Brother, Hanzhong is safe now."

He turned and descended the city wall: "Let's go see Lord Su."