As the county magistrate, Gan Wei naturally had the privilege to browse through some official gazettes. Recently, the Jianping army had reported continuous victories. Half a month earlier, they had already arrived at Yishou Commandery, where the Right Camp was stationed.
Gan Wei had some understanding of the broader situation and was roughly aware that the Right Camp’s location was a challenging stronghold. Even though Tao Jia was exceptionally skilled in military strategy, it would be difficult to capture it easily.
Since the war was likely to drag on, he had to pay extra attention to the issue of government-managed farming. Due to the ongoing conflict and the dismantling of fortresses, the authorities had confiscated large tracts of land. Those found guilty were punished by being conscripted into government service, including many displaced refugees and rebel soldiers. In truth, Gan Wei understood why the imperial court had not granted amnesty to these individuals. Serving as government laborers, though requiring them to work the land for the authorities, meant that farming tools and seeds were provided by the government. Despite the hardship, they could at least survive. In contrast, if granted amnesty and allocated land, they might not be able to safeguard it under the current circumstances.
Gan Wei planned to take the county deputy and others to personally inspect the government-managed farms. The county deputy had also been selected through the civil service examination. Both were from out of town and, though previously unacquainted, understood the need to work together during this time.
To appease the powerful local clans in the eastern region, the imperial court stipulated during the establishment of the talent selection examination that officials chosen this time would serve a full three-year term. Additionally, “Wind-Catcher Envoys” were dispatched to oversee their conduct. This was a newly created position, now under the supervision of the City Bureau. It represented Wen Yanran’s initial attempt to develop this department into something akin to the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard. [1]
The Wind-Catcher Envoys would stay for three months. During this period, if they encountered any illegal or unethical behavior among the officials, they could record it and report it to the court. The Ministry of Personnel would then review and potentially dismiss the offenders. In mainstream political thought, these envoys were merely subordinates of the inner court officials, not affiliated with the provincial inspectors, and thus not easily accepted by local officials. They temporarily operated under the authority of the imperial army. Moreover, many of the newly appointed officials came from powerful local families but lacked prestige among the scholarly elite. It was only under these circumstances that the Wind-Catcher Envoys could barely fulfill their duties.
Before long, the county deputy arrived as instructed. The officials from the government office harnessed two carriages and set off together for the fields.
Since it was now winter, the fields were naturally barren. Their main purpose in coming this time was to inspect the living conditions of the government laborers. Upon arrival, they happened to witness the staff at the government-managed farm distributing thin porridge. Gan Wei and the others moved closer to look and saw that the porridge was largely filled with unhusked wheat, millet, beans, and even mixed with tree bark and grass roots.
The meager amount of food was truly just enough to keep people barely alive. Even so, for the local authorities who had just endured the war, providing even this was already a significant drain on their resources.
The phrase “empty government granaries after the war” was far from an exaggeration.
In this conflict, most of the spoils captured by the Jianping side were directly consumed by the imperial army, which was in urgent need of supplies. What remained was stored in the local granaries, barely enough to sustain them through this period. Especially notable was that, some time ago, Jianzhou had specifically allocated six thousand metric tons of grain and fodder. Tao Jia understood that the main purpose of sending these provisions was to appease him and his troops. Accepting Chu Fu’s advice, he submitted a memorial to the Emperor, proposing that the grain be retained in Gu Province to alleviate the hardships of the people.
A farming official, noticing the county magistrate’s arrival, set down her tools and came over to pay her respects.
Gan Wei remembered the person. She was that unfortunate young woman named Kuang Shao, who had missed the earlier sessions of the talent selection examination. As the daughter of a prominent family from a neighboring county, she had spent her days at home studying and farming, which had given her a thorough understanding of agricultural affairs.
Kuang Shao clasped her hands in greeting and, after paying her respects to the supervising official who had come to inspect, said, “For now, we can still manage to get by. However, before the spring planting begins, we must ensure that everyone gets at least two full meals.”
Gan Wei nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Otherwise, where will they find the strength to farm when the time comes?”
With her superior’s approval, Kuang Shao bowed forward once more. In truth, her concerns extended beyond this issue alone. She knew that for the farming to proceed, the government-managed farms would have to distribute seeds. If the government laborers were not adequately fed, those seeds would likely never make it into the fields at all.
In Hengping County.
Dian Wue was in discussion with his advisors.
They had received news that Jianping had sent six thousand metric tons of grain and fodder to the eastern region. In itself, this was nothing particularly unusual. What caught their attention, however, was the person tasked with overseeing the matter – it was actually Chu Fu of the Chu clan.
Having once served under the Marquis of Quanling for a time, Dian Wue knew a bit about Chu Fu. This man had been utterly devoted to Wen Jinming, genuinely willing to live and die for her. Although he had not chosen martyrdom out of duty to his family’s continuation, he had never taken up an official post. So why would he suddenly appear in the eastern region now?
After a serious and heated, though largely speculative, discussion among the advisors, two main theories had emerged. The first was that the Chu clan had fallen under the Emperor’s suspicion, forcing Chu Fu to take up an official post to prove his loyalty. The second was that Chu Fu now believed that Chu Sui had pledged allegiance to the eastern faction and wished to join this camp as well.
Yu Gao suggested, “Since Chu Sui herself is here, perhaps I could go and sound her out to gauge how much loyalty Chu Fu still holds toward the Marquis of Quanling.”
If even Chu Sui believed that her uncle was the kind of man who, once he had chosen a lord to serve, would remain unwaveringly loyal for life, then the purpose of his coming east would require careful consideration.
Dian Wue agreed with Yu Gao’s suggestion. Their consecutive military setbacks had left them at a disadvantage – what if they could secure Chu Fu as an inside ally? Wouldn’t that give them a chance to regain the upper hand?
Translator’s Notes:
[1] In the context of Chinese history, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Easter Depot were two notorious secret police and surveillance agencies during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). They were instruments of imperial power, directly responsible to the emperor, and operated outside the normal judicial and bureaucratic systems, inspiring both fear and fascination.
