Jinting Han people

Chapter 139: Three Surnames County (4k)

On the day the new county lord took office, he dismissed nineteen county officials at once. These were not ordinary county officials, but high-ranking officials such as the county lieutenant, county magistrate, Gongcao, and court officials. Looking at the whole country, this was a very rare thing.

But Liu Xian not only did it, but also ordered someone to post a notice, informing the people of the entire city about this matter with great fanfare, and then went to rest.

While he was sleeping, the news quickly caused an uproar in the county.

It was past the autumn harvest, the time when the people in the county were at their most idle. Even in Xiayang County, which was in such a poor state, the people couldn't help but comment on it.

After reading the announcement, a curious person exclaimed to the onlookers, "Xinxian Jun is a young man after all, and he's so energetic! This is the first time in decades that there's been such a major personnel change!"

Soon someone started complaining, "What's the point? Over the past decade or so, the county government has come and gone, and they've been replaced several times. Besides asking you for food with bags or asking you for people with ropes, what else have they done?"

This resonated widely. After all, there are as many disappointments as there are hopes.

But some people also retorted, "It's better than doing nothing, right? After all, Xinxianjun is a man of great courage. It can't be worse than it is now, right? At worst, we can just live like before."

This made sense. Some knowledgeable elders began to analyze the situation and shook their heads, saying, "I'm afraid it will be even worse than it is now. After all, these dismissed people are from Xiayang and have to take care of their reputation. What can the new county lord accomplish without their help?"

Some poor people said, "I don't think so. The county lord's notice is correct. The county has become like this. Don't the county nobles have any responsibility? They are from Xiayang, yes, but during the disaster years, I never saw them waive a bushel of rent."

"If you ask me, Xinxianjun is doing a great job! Let's not talk about how he will do in the future. Just looking at the facts, some people should have gotten out long ago!"

When it comes to the faults of the rich, everyone has endless topics to talk about. No matter how poor the environment is, people will never get tired of it. So everyone started talking and complaining about the various injustices they have encountered over the years.

At the same time, several people left the quarreling crowd, looked at each other, and then left like flying insects, just like bees returning to the hive.

By noon of the same day, the local nobles had basically received the news and knew that the new county lord had taken office, and judging by the situation, he was preparing to cause a big commotion in the county.

Although it is located in Guanzhong and adjacent to wealthy counties such as Hedong and Jingzhao, as one of the poorest counties in the country, Xiayang County naturally has no major families.

But with a long history, even the most insignificant places once had a glorious history. Similarly, even in a small county like Xiayang, ancestors from humble backgrounds may have become famous figures at home and abroad.

A hundred years ago, there were five major clans in Xiayang, namely Bu, Dong, Han, Feng and Tong.

Among them, the Bu family is a descendant of Bu Shang, one of the "Ten Sages of Confucius." Bu Shang, also known as Zixia, traveled extensively after Confucius' death and settled in Shaoliang in his later years, where he founded the renowned "Xihe School." Famous Warring States scholars such as Tian Zifang, Duan Ganmu, Wu Qi, and Qin Huali all studied and learned here, making it the birthplace of Legalism.

The Dong family descended from Dong Yi, the King of Di during the Chu-Han period. Originally a Qin general, Dong Yi served under Zhang Han during the chaotic period of the late Qin Dynasty, defeating Chen Sheng and Xiang Liang, earning him a prestigious reputation. However, he was defeated by Xiang Yu at the Battle of Julu. He persuaded Zhang Han to surrender to Xiang Yu, and was subsequently named King of Di. When Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Later Han Dynasty, returned to pacify the Three Qin states, Dong Yi was unable to defeat them and surrendered again, eventually relocating to Xiayang.

The Han clan's origins are quite simple: a branch of the Han royal family during the Warring States Period. Han, one of the Seven Warring States, derived its name and surname from Hanyuan, a region within Xiayang. During the reign of King Xiang of Zhou, Duke Mu of Qin defeated Duke Hui of Jin at Hanyuan, establishing his dominance in Guanxi. The main branch of the Han clan migrated to Hedong, while some branches remained in their ancestral homeland, continuing to thrive and multiply.

The Tong and Feng families have the shortest ancestry, but their ancestors are more famous. They are descendants of Sima Qian, the Grand Historian. After Sima Qian completed his "Records of the Grand Historian," he believed that his honesty had offended Emperor Wu of Han and would inevitably bring consequences to his descendants. He ordered his eldest son, Sima Lin, to change his surname to Feng, and his second son, Sima Guan, to Tong, to avoid calamity.

These five surnames witnessed the changes in Xiayang over the past five hundred years. During the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty, they once thought that this kind of life would last forever. However, nothing in the long river of history is permanent. With the change of Han and Wei dynasties, the pattern of Xiayang also changed.

After the Battle of Guandu, Yuan and Cao fought a great battle in Hedong. During this period, the Bu family, the largest family in Xiayang, participated in Gao Gan's Hedong Rebellion, but was eventually wiped out by the military officer Zhang Ji.

During the Battle of Hanzhong between Cao and Liu, Guanzhong was short of food and the people were unstable, so Cao Cao moved a large number of people from Guanzhong to Hebei. As a result, the Han family, the second largest clan in Xiayang, left their hometown.

At this point, only the Dong, Feng, and Tong families remained in Xiayang County. They barely survived, quietly waiting for the right opportunity to revive their family.

Today, these three surnames have fallen into decline, their main land holdings barely a thousand acres, their retainers numbering a dozen or so, making them insignificant among the other surnames in Guanzhong. But in Xiayang, after centuries of expansion, their influence is undoubtedly immense. After all, members of these three surnames comprise nearly half of Xiayang's registered population. Governing Xiayang effectively requires their help, which is why every county magistrate since the Wei and Jin dynasties has resorted to winning them over.

Of these, the most wooed were naturally the Shangzhuang Dong family. Although literary virtues flourished today, and the aristocracy often devalued military prowess and favored literature, those whose family traditions were marked by poetry and literature often held a higher status, in a poor place like Xiayang, poetry and literature were clearly of little use. The Dong family, descended from a renowned general, were well-versed in military strategy and criminal justice, and possessed considerable knowledge of general affairs. Therefore, of the three clans, they were the most trusted by the county government.

Therefore, after receiving the news of his dismissal, Dong Chong, the former Xiayang County Magistrate and now the head of the Shangzhuang Dong family, could not help but feel extremely shocked.

He was completely unprepared and couldn't help but repeatedly confirm with his servant, "Has the new county lord issued a notice dismissing me from office?"

The servant replied, "Not only your lordship's county lieutenant, but also Lord Feng's Gongcao, Lord Tong's Xiancheng, and several of the young masters' court officials and chief clerks—anyone who doesn't stay overnight at the county government office will be dismissed."

"How could this happen?" Dong Chong felt incredible, because such a change was too contrary to common sense.

Although in a county, in theory, the county magistrate is equivalent to a prince appointed by the state. During his term of office, he has all the powers in the county, including life and death, and naturally he also has the power to appoint and dismiss all officials in the county.

But high-ranking officials like the county lieutenant, county magistrate, Gongcao, and Tingjian are different from ordinary county officials after all.

The county lieutenant and the county magistrate were collectively known as the county magistrate. During the Western Han Dynasty, they were appointed directly by the imperial court, similar to the county magistrate and county head. However, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, with the loss of order at the grassroots level, the imperial court devolved power, allowing the county magistrate to appoint his own officers. Even so, the county lieutenant and the county magistrate still enjoyed considerable autonomy.

Gongcao and Tingchuan were the top officials in the county, directly interacting with the prefectural government. Not only did all official documents within the prefectural government pass through their hands, but they also oversaw the assessment of county officials for promotion. When the prefectural government reviewed the performance of the prefectural government, it often sought the opinions of Gongcao and Tingchuan.

Therefore, generally speaking, even without considering the backgrounds of these assistant officers, considering only their duties, they would not be easily offended. Dismissing even one of them would require extreme caution, let alone dismissing all of them. However, Liu Xian did just that, and did it without mercy. Instead of sending someone to discuss it beforehand, he directly announced the matter to the entire city through a notice, leaving almost no room for maneuver.

So when Dong Chong heard about this practice, he was more shocked than angry, and began to repeatedly speculate about the background of this new county magistrate.

Before this, the notice issued by the county government was very simple. It just informed that the new county magistrate was named Liu Xian, from Luoyang, and what he looked like. Apart from that, there was no mention of his family background, personality, abilities, etc.

This was perfectly normal. After decades of exhausting resources, the people of Xiayang had largely grasped the imperial court's perspective. From the imperial court's perspective, this place was a hopeless hellhole. Anyone sent there to be a county magistrate must have no connections or abilities, and no one cared about their character.

Dong Chong had originally thought so, but today's incident had made him a little unsure. After all, there was no such thing as a constant truth in the world. This new county lord must have had something to rely on for his actions.

So Dong Chong asked again: "Have you ever been to the county government to see what kind of person the new county magistrate is?"

The servant replied, "Sir, I went into the county office, but I didn't see the county lord. I heard that he had traveled all night and went to rest after giving the order."

"Have you contacted anyone you know to get more specific information? About the county magistrate?"

"I've inquired. Han Liu, who guards the city gate, said that the new county lord seems to be a very kind person."

"Kind?" In Dong Chong's opinion, Liu Xian's actions had little to do with kindness.

"Yes, kind, but very opinionated. Han Liu said that when the new county lord arrived, around 2:15 am, he insisted on waking up all the officials in the county office. The officials were very unhappy, but the new county lord talked with them for over an hour, and no one complained anymore."

Dong Chong, however, was focused on another question. He asked, "We talked for over an hour? What did we talk about?"

"How could Han Liu know? It seemed like they were discussing some of the mundane matters within their job responsibilities, and he didn't quite understand."

"Any other news? How he plans to govern?"

"Then I didn't understand and didn't ask."

Dong Chong quickly made a decision. Regardless, as the largest family in Xiayang, the Dong family's fate was inseparable from the county government's movements. He had to pay attention to his relationship with the county lord. He had to find ways to win over the powerful and control the weak. If he really couldn't get along with someone, he had to find a way to transfer him away.

In the current confusing situation, Dong Chong needs to find someone to find out the background of this new county lord before he can determine the specific course of action.

Thinking of this, Dong Chong first called his eldest son Dong Heng and instructed him, "Go to Linjin Prefecture and find Supervisor Wang."

"First, give him some gold to establish some connections, and then thoroughly inquire about the background of this new county lord. The more detailed the better."

After Dong Heng left, Dong Chong called his second son Dong Xiu and then his third son Dong Chen, saying, "Erlang, go to Zhilan Pavilion and pay a visit to Feng Yu to see what his attitude is."

"Sanlang, you too, go to Lun Gong Pavilion and find Tong Bin to see how he reacts to the county magistrate."

"You must make it clear that the world is in a difficult situation right now. Unity is beneficial to both sides, while division is detrimental to both sides. No matter who this county magistrate is or what he plans to do, our three families must advance and retreat together."

"As long as we make up our minds, whether it's friendship or conspiracy, we have bargaining chips."

Finally, he called the servant who had read the notice and instructed him, "Go to the county government again and ask around to see if there's any new news. The county magistrate is so impatient, he must be someone who can't keep secrets. He must be making some big move."

"Even if he doesn't take any action, at least some information will leak out. If he doesn't leak anything, his followers will leak some information. There will definitely be no trace left."

"That's it!"

Dong Chong finished all the arrangements, but he still felt a little tired and uneasy. Although life in Xiayang was poor and hard, as long as he got used to indifference, hunger, the unexplained deaths on the roadside, and the rampant bandits in and outside the county, it was actually no big deal.

Habit is the greatest power. As long as you take it for granted and refuse to think about it, you can get through any difficult life.

Even Dong Chong was not immune to the influence of habit. He had become accustomed to ignoring the county lord and cultivating his property in Xiayang. But now, the appearance of the new county magistrate broke this habit, making him quite uncomfortable.

Did he make any mistakes? Dong Chong fell into thought, but then felt at a loss. After all, the last time Dong Chong confronted the county magistrate was probably more than ten years ago, and many of his tactics were no longer used by him.

Of course, Dong Chong couldn't imagine why such turmoil was necessary in a place like Xiayang. With only a few hundred households and a few thousand people, in a wealthy region like Henan during the Former Han Dynasty, the population would be the equivalent of a village headman's jurisdiction. Could any further turmoil restore the glory of a century ago? Dong Chong couldn't imagine what that would look like.

Just as he was thinking deeply and was about to fall into a deep sleep, the servant who had been looking for news came back. He hurried into the house and reported to Dong Chong:

"Sir, the new county lord has issued a new notice, recruiting soldiers from the county, saying that all the bandits in the county must be wiped out within three months!"

"Ah? Suppress the horse bandits!" Dong Chong woke up immediately, and the little sleepiness he had originally felt disappeared in an instant. Then he started laughing, "Hahahaha, this county magistrate is really a young man who loves to joke..."

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(End of this chapter)