The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 108 There Must Be a Way Here

Just as someone behind the door was panicking.

Mi Wei stepped onto the steps in front of the door and called out to the crowd in the candlelight:

"Young Master Meng is a man of great potential, with the qualities of a prime minister and the talent of a general."

"The previous banditry arose in the mountains and fields. To protect the region, Lord Meng sacrificed his life, but unfortunately contracted a serious illness and did not live long enough!"

"Oh, heavens, how cruel are you to loyal ministers and righteous men?"

"Although I am not talented, I have been ordered by the king to govern Shangyong. If I cannot demonstrate the integrity of a righteous man, how can I repay the king's kindness and comfort the common people?"

"Therefore, tonight we will hold a funeral for Lord Meng, and the next day we will escort his coffin into Shu to report to the King, who will surely ensure that his descendants are cared for and that the righteous man's bones are not left to grow cold!"

He immediately turned around and knelt before the tightly closed door, weeping and praying:

"Alas, may Lord Meng rest in peace!"

With him taking the lead, his soldiers and subordinates followed suit, and all of them perished, each one becoming an eternal figure.

Apart from Prefect Shen Dan, who seemed somewhat puzzled, Deng Xian and Li Fu appeared stiff and strange.

The onlookers all followed suit.

Suddenly, mournful music and wailing filled the air outside the door.

A complete mourning ritual was performed all night long.

As dawn approached, the crowd gradually dispersed.

The tightly closed door finally opened.

A disheveled, shirtless, and barefoot middle-aged man staggered out.

He was also holding a pottery urn in his hands.

Mi Wei turned his head and glanced at Shen Dan. Seeing the latter nod slightly, he understood.

He then asked the person leaving, "Who are you? Where are Lord Meng's remains?"

The middle-aged man trembled upon hearing this and said in a muffled voice:
Before his death, Meng Gong said he wished to return to his homeland, Fufeng County.

"However, since his homeland is far away in Guanzhong, it is inconvenient to transport his body out of the country. Therefore, I specially ordered my servant to cremate him... and this is the urn of ashes."

The middle-aged man deliberately held up the pottery urn in front of everyone.

"Humph."

Shen Dan didn't even look at it, only sneered coldly.

Deng Xian and Li Fu's expressions were even stranger, showing no sign of grief at the loss of their uncle or master.

Only Mi Wei's expression remained unchanged, his solemnity unchanged:
"Since it is Lord Meng's last wish, I dare not disobey it. But may I ask your name and what your relationship is with Lord Meng?"

The middle-aged man shuddered again, gritting his teeth as he said:
“I was a guest of Lord Meng and have received great favors from him.”

"My humble name is not worth mentioning; you gentlemen may simply call me 'Old Man of the Wild Grass'."

Shen Dan sneered again upon hearing this.

Deng Xian and Li Fu simply covered their faces with their sleeves, unable to bear looking directly at each other.

However, after the Pan brothers confirmed that the man was indeed Meng Da, they both glared at him angrily.

Of all the people present, only the Kwan siblings were the most relaxed.

Guan Xing wore an expression of watching a show.

Guan Jiji picked through the offerings left behind by the people, eating as she looked at them.

Mi Wei remained silent for a few breaths, then turned to Shen Dan and said:

"Now that this matter is settled, it's time to get down to business."

……

A moment later, the group went to the prefectural government office.

Prefect Shen Dan immediately had a copy of the accounting book presented to Mi Wei for his review.

Mi Wei, however, left all the accounting to the Pan brothers, while he himself chatted and laughed with Shen Dan.

The latter was initially a little nervous.

But Mi Wei looked amiable, and the so-called "Old Man of the Wild Grass" was kneeling outside the door.

Gradually, he lowered his guard and answered fluently.

After half a day, the Pan brothers finished their investigation and whispered something to Mi Wei.

Shen Dan became nervous again when he saw Mi Wei suddenly fall silent.
"But where is there an oversight?"

Mi Wei shook his head: "There are no oversights, but I have some doubts."

"Of the several prefectures in Jingzhou, judging solely from the territory Your Majesty occupies, Nanjun has the largest population, followed by Xiangyang, then Jiangxia, and finally Nanxiang."

"The rest of Wuling, Lingling, and Yidu are all barren lands, and are the worst."

"I originally thought that although Shangyong was not as good as Xiangyang, it had been peaceful for nearly two years and should have recovered."

"Why are there still so few registered residents, even fewer than in the barren lands to the south?" Upon hearing this question, Shen Dan immediately replied:
"Commander, you are unaware of this. The three commanderies are all blocked by towering mountains to the north and south, and only a few tributary valleys in the south of the Han River are still suitable for making a living."

"However, in the mountains and rivers, fertile land is scarce and roads are blocked, so the mountain people do not submit to the government and it is difficult to register them as households."

"Therefore, although it is called three prefectures, in fact, the total is not as good as the southern township in the east, let alone Xiangfan and Nanjun."

Mi Wei's expression suddenly dawned on him.

I have benefited greatly from Lord Shen's insightful observations.

The latter was about to defer, but Mi Wei suddenly changed his tone:
"Since the combined population of the three prefectures is not as large as that of Nanxiang alone, why not merge them into two prefectures or even one prefecture?"

"The three commanderies were originally part of Hanzhong. It was only because Cao Cao forcibly divided them into commanderies to prevent the resurgence of the rice thieves!"

"Now, nine out of ten households in Hanzhong are empty. Your Majesty is also implementing benevolent policies, and with a capable governor like Lord Shen governing the region, there will certainly be no more trouble from rice thieves. It is the perfect time to implement a policy of streamlining the army and simplifying the administration!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Dan was speechless with astonishment.

However, Miwei ignored this completely and continued speaking on his own:

"What I am worried about is that there are three prefects and three sets of officials in the three prefectures."

"After the merger of the prefectures, who will stay and who will leave is truly a worrying question... It's a difficult situation!"

Shen Dan nodded repeatedly, but dared not respond directly.

Mi Wei then said, "How about we use this year's performance evaluations from the three prefectures as the standard? Population, cultivated land, finances, administration, thieves... whoever performs best will stay, what do you think?"

Shen Dan had no choice but to agree, and frowned as he said:

"Is this the King's will, or General Guan's will?"

Mi Wei: "No, it's just that after traveling through the prefectures for ten days, I've had some insights and plan to submit a memorial to Your Majesty after entering Shu!"

"I am just offering my humble opinion, Your Excellency, please do not ridicule me."

Shen Dan breathed a slight sigh of relief and repeatedly said he dared not.

At this moment, Guan Xing suddenly interjected, "Shi Shan is too modest!"

"You have achieved the greatest merit in capturing Xiangfan, and the King has personally bestowed upon you a title, which shows his high expectations."

"I'm afraid that once your memorial is submitted, it will have to go through a round of public discussion in the cabinet before it can be implemented!"

Shen Dan finally couldn't hold back any longer, stood up abruptly, and exclaimed:

"Does the Commandant truly intend to confiscate my seal of office worth two thousand shi?"

Mi Wei feigned surprise: "Why do you say that, Your Excellency?"

He immediately looked as if he had just realized something, stepped forward to help Shen Dan sit down, and apologized:
"It was my short-sightedness that led me to forget that the Prefect of Xicheng is the Lord's brother!"

"It is never good for brothers to fight each other!"

"How about this? I'll vouch for you. No matter what your performance is like, Lord Shen will definitely stay. What do you say?"

Shen Dan was stunned on the spot.

I found the scene before me both absurd and shocking.

"Hahahahaha..."

Meng Da, who was outside the door, suddenly looked up and burst into laughter.

"I thought the official had come to secretly kill the general, but it turns out he killed three warriors with two peaches!"

"If Lord Shen were to fabricate a lie, how would he face the world in the future?"

"If Lord Shen forces his elder brother to resign from his post, how can he uphold the principles of filial piety and brotherly love?"

"I'm afraid they'll all have to relinquish their official seals!"

"Excellent methods, impressive courage, and ruthless!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Dan could no longer remain seated. He immediately removed his crown, faced north, and bowed.
"My brothers and I, having failed in our duties as prefects, have let down the emperor's expectations. We wish to resign our posts and retire to the mountains!"

Seeing this, Meng Da sneered repeatedly, just like the other party had done earlier.

However, Miwei still looked surprised and puzzled.

He stepped forward again to help Shen Dan up, and said:
"I am merely a clerk in charge of accounting, not a governor or an envoy carrying out the king's orders. How could I be so easily stripped of my official seal of two thousand shi?"

"To be honest, my lord, we hit it off immediately, and I sincerely hope that you can stay in Shangyong and work with the others to restore the Han Dynasty!"

Shen Dan saw that he looked very sincere.

For a moment, I couldn't quite figure out what the other person was thinking.

He could only smile wryly and say, "What advice does the Commandant have for you? Why don't you just tell me directly?"

Seeing that the time was almost right, Mi Wei asked Pan Mi to bring the map and unfold it.

Then, pointing to a route that had already been drawn between Shangyong and Xicheng, he smiled and said:

"There must be a way here!"

(End of this chapter)