Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 24 Passing is not my limit
The official position of Quan Jia Zuo—no, it can hardly be considered an official position at all, but rather a concurrent post—has a deterrent effect far beyond Shi Shouxin's imagination.

After introducing himself outside the camp, Xie Zuan, the Agricultural Commissioner, personally came out to greet him. Upon meeting him, Xie Zuan respectfully bowed to Shi Shouxin and said, "Lord Shi, please come into my tent for a chat. I have already prepared the provisions and accounts and have been waiting for you for a long time!"

Xie Zuan laughed heartily, looking confident. He appeared to be in his forties, in his prime, and unlike the rough and burly soldiers, he seemed very refined.

"please!"

Shi Shouxin, with a smile on his face, followed Xie Zuan into the camp. The atmosphere between the two sides was very harmonious from the moment they met.

This place, though named Tuntian District, was actually a genuine military camp. It was fully equipped with wooden barricades and chevaux-de-frise, and had numerous arrow towers deployed in a crisscross pattern, with a watchtower behind every few arrow towers.

The entire camp was quite large, divided into six separate areas connected by gates and checkpoints, requiring passwords to enter and exit.

During the Three Kingdoms period, war was the main theme, and everything was born out of war.

From the deployment of this large camp, Shi Shouxin knew that Cao Wei's military preparations were very solid. Even after the Sima clan usurped power, they had not relaxed their efforts in this regard.

After the group entered the command tent of the Agricultural Commissioner, they found that there were more than a dozen minor officials inside, carrying piles of bamboo slips, and many people were busy calculating at their desks.

"Shi Jiazuo, please take a look. This is the general ledger, and over there are the entries for the granary's expenditures and income over the years. They are still being verified. After you have verified the ledger, you can go to the granary to verify the quantity of grain."

The General had previously informed me that the imperial court would send someone to inspect the granaries, and I have prepared all the accounts.

Xie Zuan said very modestly. Clearly, he had been prepared for this.

Xie Zuan was a fellow townsman of Sima Yi and was parachuted into Hedong to serve as an official. He wasn't on the same page as the local powerful families of Hedong. Before Shi Shouxin arrived, Sima Zhao had already warned Xie Zuan that someone would be coming to inspect the granary, and advised him to be careful.

These words may seem trivial, but they actually contain a profound meaning.

Sima Zhao's purpose was simply to conquer Shu, not to embarrass his fellow villagers. In any case, he had already delivered the message: if Xie Zuan was involved in the illegal trade of military rations, he should use this time to replenish the granaries so that he could deal with the inspections later.

Sima Zhao could only help Xie Zuan to this extent. If anything were discovered, he had to handle it impartially. Otherwise, if the campaign against Shu failed due to lack of supplies, he would inevitably have to take Xie Zuan's head to appease the world.

Of course, if Xie Zuan had not committed any crimes and the accounts of the granary matched, then this reminder could also express Sima Zhao's intention to protect his fellow villager.

"Hmm, General, you've made excellent preparations. Let's begin the investigation."

Shi Shouxin nodded slightly.

Huh? I was just being polite, you actually checked?
Xie Zuan's face stiffened, then he gave a wry smile. He had originally thought it was just a formality, but he hadn't expected the court to really want to investigate, or perhaps this hothead wanted to handle things officially.

Xie Zuan pulled Shi Shouxin aside and whispered to him, "Gongtai, let's talk in private."

Shi Shouxin understood and immediately led Xie Zuan to his dwelling. Xie Zuan carefully carried over a wooden box, opened it, and inside were dozens of IOUs.

"These were all loans accumulated by prominent families in Hedong over the years, supposedly to provide relief to local disaster victims. I always had no choice but to agree."

As for whether they actually provided relief, Xie had no way of verifying it; he only hoped that nothing would happen in Hedong.

Xie Zuan noticed that Shi Shouxin was expressionless and silent, so he added, "There is a shortage of about one million bushels, which is equivalent to a year's output from the military farms."

"Does the General know about this?"

Shi Shouxin asked.

The Agricultural Commissioner lending grain from the military farms to wealthy households in Hedong was no small matter!

"Perhaps he knows, but it wasn't Xie who reported it."

Xie Zuan shook his head.

Hearing this, Shi Shouxin looked at Xie Zuan with a half-smile and said in a very flippant tone, "Some unchaste women have belts looser than willow catkins, so any man can pull them off and kiss them? Is Master Xie's belt loose or tight?"

Just tell me if you're a slut! The powerful families of Hedong want to borrow grain, so you lend it to them. And you still say you're not a public bus?
Seeing Shi Shouxin's sarcastic remarks, Xie Zuan knew he was in the wrong and did not retaliate.

After a long while, Xie Zuan sighed and said, "The three rebellions in Huainan are quite powerful. The Grand General's mansion is unstable, and not only the officials in Luoyang have noticed this, but also the wealthy families in Hedong. Under such circumstances, if I refuse to lend grain to the wealthy families in Hedong, what if they rise up in rebellion in support of the likes of Guanqiu Jian and Zhuge Dan, or even directly seize the grain from the military farms? How should I deal with that?"

Xie Zuan had served as the Agricultural Commissioner for over a decade, so he naturally had a deep understanding of the local situation. As for whether the powerful clans of Hedong were testing the waters or were genuinely short of food, it was impossible to know their thoughts at the time.

"Alright, I'll make a copy of these IOUs, compile them into an account book, and take it with me to the imperial court. As for Xie Gong's matter, I'll put in a good word for him with the Commandant of the Capital Region when I get back. As for whether the Commandant of the Capital Region or even the General will listen, I can't say for sure."

Shi Shouxin nodded and said that he did not make things difficult for Xie Zuan.

He understood Xie Zuan's predicament. In order to keep the powerful clans in Hedong in check and prevent them from actively responding to the three rebellions in Huainan, Xie Zuan, as the Agricultural Commissioner of Hedong, naturally could not escalate the conflict.

The saying goes, "When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one."

However, these are things that Shi Shouxin cannot solve; he can simply report them truthfully.

The Sima family's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, leaving a series of unresolved problems; they could only live day by day. Now that things were out in the open, Xie Zuan immediately expressed his deepest gratitude to Shi Shouxin, saying he would allow any kind of auditing, as he had a clear conscience.

With Xie Zuan's active cooperation, the inventory of the grain warehouse was completed in two or three days. The final result was indeed as Xie Zuan had said: the missing parts basically matched the parts on the IOU.

The remaining margin of error is within the acceptable range of losses allowed by the imperial court. After all, even the rats in the granary consume some grain every day.

Water that is too clear has no fish; trying to be completely rigid and methodical is simply impossible. In other words, Xie Zuan, as an official, was loyal to his duties, and even competent.

However, he could not withstand the relentless pressure from the powerful clans of Hedong.

In an era when officials dared not speak of loyalty, it was inevitable that powerful families would encroach on the power of the government.

After leaving the Tuntian government office, Ishikami was in a rather heavy mood.

Although he didn't expect the Sima family to be particularly capable, he didn't anticipate that before the Sima family had even unified the country, it already showed signs of collapse.

In order to gain support, the Sima clan had to share power and govern together with local powerful families. Now they are openly borrowing and not repaying; what will happen in the future is simply unimaginable.

Arriving outside Anyi City again, Shi Shouxin lingered for a long time, weighing the pros and cons, neither rushing into the city nor leaving in a hurry.

"My lord, why don't we go and deliver that conscription document? Once it's delivered, we can go back to Luoyang. Madam is still waiting for you at home."

Seeing that Shi Shouxin was standing outside the city gate, refusing to enter or leave, Xigou couldn't help but remind him.

"Let's go into the city."

Shi Shouxin had made up his mind and beckoned to Xigou.

He realized he couldn't just leave like this. The work was only done to the point of "just getting by," far from being done well.

As a subordinate, you must always try to understand the different needs of your immediate supervisor, department manager, and CEO. This will allow you to weigh the pros and cons and focus your energy where it matters most.

Instead of indulging in wishful thinking and self-indulgence.

Sima Zhao's requirements for auditing the accounts were simple: ensure that there were enough provisions for the campaign against Shu, and on that basis, the more provisions the better.

As for the scheming and tricks of the powerful families, Sima Zhao was well aware of them, or rather, he was powerless to do anything about it.

What he wanted was loyalty. As long as the powerful families sided with the Sima family, it wouldn't be a big deal if they went a little too far in the local area.

In other words, for Sima Zhao, Shi Shouxin's task had a very low lower limit, but no upper limit in sight!
This is also why Shi Bao dared to entrust this task to him, an unknown nobody.

In Sima Zhao's view, Xie Zuan's lending of such a large amount of grain was a helpless measure due to the instability of the country in the past years, and was therefore understandable.

As long as the reserves are sufficient to support the campaign against Shu, Sima Zhao will turn a blind eye.

But Shi Bao's ambitions certainly didn't stop there, for he was the Commandant of the Capital Region. He needed to know exactly how the accounts were conducted. The wealthy families of Hedong had their own agendas, and he also wanted to understand the complexities of the situation there.

What if something goes wrong like what happened in Huainan?
His expectations of Shi Shouxin certainly went beyond simply getting things done in a way that could be passed off as a sham.

"Simple task," but it doesn't seem simple at all! After thinking for a long time, Shi Shouxin had already made up his mind.

……

In the backyard of the prefectural government office in Hedong County, Prefect Wang Jun and his wife, Madam Xu, were playing chess.

Wang Jun was from Hongnong and came from a family of officials who had held high-ranking positions for generations. His wife, Xu, was the daughter of Xu Miao, a prominent official who served three reigns of the Cao Wei dynasty. This couple was both extremely wealthy and powerful.

Wang Jun is already in his fifties. He debuted and became famous very early.

However, what brought him success also brought him down. Wang Jun rose through the ranks quickly because of his father-in-law, but later fell behind just as quickly because of his father-in-law.

Wang Jun's father-in-law, Xu Miao, was a senior and respected official of Cao Wei, and was deeply feared by Sima Yi. As a result, Wang Jun's official career was also delayed by the black swan event of the Sima clan's usurpation of the Cao throne, and he can still only serve as an official in local areas to this day.

He was able to become the governor of Hedong Commandery thanks to Cao Mao's promotion.

Of course, as the Sima clan gradually eliminated their political rivals, they became less wary of some of the older officials who did not clearly side with the Cao family.

Therefore, Wang Jun is now in a situation where he can still climb the ranks, but his future is clearly not very bright.

“Ah Lang has great ambitions. The world is about to change, and there will surely be an opportunity for Ah Lang to realize his aspirations.”

Looking at Wang Jun, who was over fifty years old but still acted like a child and was sullen, Xu couldn't help but offer him words of comfort.

"Who knows what will happen in such a situation? Sigh!"

Wang Jun sighed deeply, feeling a sense of helplessness at having unfulfilled ambitions and wasted half his life.

Just then, the second son, Wang Ju, tiptoed over and whispered something in Wang Jun's ear for a long time, looking very worried.

After hearing his son's description, Wang Jun's heart sank little by little.

"Trouble has come. Madam, please rest. I need to go and receive the envoy sent by the imperial court."

Wang Jun looked at Madam Xu and sighed, then followed Wang Ju to the study.

Before long, the imperial envoy was brought in, and it was none other than Shi Shouxin.

“Lord Wang, my name is Shi Shouxin, courtesy name Gandang. I am a junior officer under the Commandant of the Capital Region. I come from Luoyang on official business in Hedong.”

Shi Shouxin gave a brief introduction of himself, but did not say why he had come.

Wang Jun glanced at his second son, Wang Ju, standing beside him, and waved his hand lightly. The latter then quietly left the study, closing the door behind him and standing guard at the entrance.

"I wonder what business the messenger has with me? The Commandant of the Capital Region... seems to have no connection with me."

Wang Jun asked calmly, though he could maintain a composed demeanor on the surface, his heart was in turmoil.

It's obvious that trouble is brewing when someone under the command of the Commandant of the Capital is causing trouble!
"I have a copy of an imperial archive here. Would you be interested in taking a look, Your Excellency? If not, I will have to show it to the General after I return to Luoyang."

Shi Shouxin appeared very composed, rarely smiling, and never aggressive. He stood there like a pine tree, neither humble nor arrogant.

Wang Jun extended his hand and made a "please" gesture.

Shi Shouxin took out a scroll from his sleeve and laid it out on the table.

Then, she just quietly looked at Wang Jun without saying a word.

The scroll read: "The Pei family of Hedong borrowed so many bushels of military rations from the granary of the military settlement." It was followed by "one" and "three." "The Liu family of Hedong borrowed so many bushels of military rations." It was followed by "one" and "two."

This thing is just a collection of IOUs, but the "one, two, three" markings at the end are confusing.

"Lord Wang, I have a question for you. I wonder if these matters concerning the borrowing of grain are true?"

Shi Shouxin looked at Wang Jun and asked.

"Well, I've heard a little about these things, and they are true, but I've never had any concrete evidence."

The grain loan was a done deal, but Wang had not verified the amount.

As Wang Jun explained, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Isn't the Prince curious?"

Those "one, two, three" markings after each item were added after checking the grain depot. Aren't you curious about what they mean?

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile, but the smile on his face looked a little cold.

What does that mean?

Wang Jun asked.

"The first one represents borrowing grain when Huainan rebelled for the first time, the second one represents borrowing grain when Huainan rebelled for the second time, and the third one represents borrowing grain when Huainan rebelled for the third time."

"Don't you understand what I mean, Lord Wang? Are you truly confused, or are you pretending?"

Shi Shouxin tapped the table with his index finger. Although he was just a "small" fake assistant with the title of "power," his power was so great that Wang Jun could not underestimate him.

Wang Jun couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead; he knew he was in trouble.

During the Huainan rebellion, the powerful families of Hedong actually sought to borrow military rations from the agricultural commissioner in charge of land reclamation. What were they planning to do?
Is this an attempt to cooperate with a rebellion, or a rebellion itself, or... a rebellion? Surely they're not borrowing that grain for themselves?
Could he possibly eat tens of thousands of bushels in one go?

Could it be that this is a betrayal of the Sima family, who have already sent troops to Huainan?

Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't, so it's better to let Sima Zhao take a look and make his own judgment, right?
So, as the governor of Hedong Commandery, how could there be such a huge hidden danger within the commandery? Was it due to incompetence and dereliction of duty, or was it because he was colluding with powerful families in Hedong?

Many things cannot withstand scrutiny and close examination!

“If you want to deal with me, you can just demand it directly. There’s no need to go to such lengths.”

Since you're willing to have a private conversation in the study, there must be a proper way to handle it. Please feel free to speak your mind.

Wang Jun said in a deep voice, indicating that he was no longer going to beat around the bush.

Shi Shouxin nodded and said:
"Lord Wang is a wise man. Let me put it this way: the general intends to attack Shu, and this is common knowledge in the court and among the people."

Therefore, he was very concerned about whether the powerful families in Hedong County were loyal to him or not.

Lord Wang, tell me, are you loyal?
How can I prove my loyalty to the general?
If this document reaches the General's mansion, your position as Prefect of Hedong Commandery will likely be over.

Shi Shouxin's warning to Wang Jundao dispelled the last glimmer of hope in the latter's heart.

The Sima family rose to power through backstabbing, so they place great importance on whether others are loyal to them!
Talk is cheap; Sima Yi even swore an oath by pointing to the Luo River!
To prove "loyalty," one must take concrete actions.

"Please instruct me, Your Excellency! I am certainly sincere."

Wang Jun was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, and he almost knelt down before Shi Shouxin.

(End of this chapter)