Holding the Governor to Command the Magistrates
In the end the new moon was drawing near and I had still accomplished nothing.
My plan to recruit the surrounding talents and drive technological progress had collapsed, yet once I locked Political Power at 100 next month it would somehow become possible.
"Hoji? Someone came looking for you."
"...?"
Gan Ong told me that first thing in the morning. But how could that be?
I had only been dropped into this world three months ago; I had no acquaintances here. On top of that I was the man who had tried to assassinate Dong Zhuo—any friends I might have had were long gone. Who would come looking for me?
"Huh? Isn't that Lady Sima?"
Yet there she was. When I stepped out under the mulberry tree inside the county office compound, Sima Lang, dressed in elegant formal robes, turned her head and greeted me.
"I'm glad you weren't out on patrol."
"Bandit suppression is left to the Left and Right Colonels. All I do inside is paperwork. What brings you here, Lady Sima?"
Hadn't our relationship ended completely after the last visit?
I had gone to apologize, only to get caught trying to gift her the poem Sangrim had written. Then Sima Yi had provoked me a little and I had lost my temper and insulted the entire Sima clan.
A house of that standing would have felt the humiliation keenly. Had she come to demand an apology?
"Nothing of the sort. I merely... came to apologize for my younger sister's rudeness last time."
"Rudeness? Honestly she didn't say anything wrong. I never imagined the eldest daughter of the Sima clan would accept a post under a mere county magistrate either. Still..."
"As you said, Young Master Do, we tried to measure the vessel without ever stepping inside it. That was the true discourtesy. The wording was harsh, yet you were right. We have only piled up empty fame. Even Zhongda could never have performed the miracle you showed us. And with that empty reputation we dared speak carelessly of your lord..."
"..."
I had thought any apology should come from me. Yet Sima Lang lowered herself without regard for her illustrious name and begged forgiveness.
"When you put it like that I feel even more ashamed..."
"And I also wish to apologize for striking your cheek without leave. You saved my life—no, something more precious than my life—and I struck you twice..."
"That one was my fault. I dragged you into a scheme without asking. That sin is a karmic debt I will carry forever."
"Heh..."
Sima Lang smiled shyly. It was the pure, clean smile that would have made my own mother declare her the perfect daughter-in-law on the spot.
"I was so terrified that day. Was I about to lose my chastity? Should I bite my tongue first? My mind was a muddle of every frantic thought. Then you appeared, Young Master Do. In that instant I was so glad I could have wept, and I committed the discourtesy without realizing it."
She meant the way she had thrown her arms around me and sobbed. That wasn't discourtesy; that was human instinct.
"As I said earlier, I was the one who created that situation. I don't think it deserves thanks."
"Even so, the feeling I felt that day was real. That much I cannot deny."
"..."
Even a footballer who ends his career in obscurity leaves behind the overwhelming presence of his prime. Sima Lang seemed to be saying that results and emotions are separate things.
"The words you spoke then... do they still hold?"
"Pardon? Which words...?"
"That you needed me. Ah, of course I know it wasn't a courtship like the prank Sangrim played. You surely meant for Magistrate Yu..."
"What?"
"Nothing. Ahem... I am simply asking whether you still need me."
"Of course I do. But are you truly all right with this? As your sister said, the magistrate of Yawang has no authority to grant official posts to retainers. The titles 'Left Colonel' and 'Right Colonel' that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei hold are just names I slapped on them."
"I know. And if I took such a post my father would never permit it. Still... would it not be possible for me to help as a mere guest retainer?"
A guest retainer was essentially a mercenary. With that arrangement I could take exactly what I wanted without staining the clan's name—the perfect move.
"Thank you, Lady Sima! I will never forget this kindness!"
I was so grateful that I seized her hands and shook them without thinking. A flush rose on both of Sima Lang's cheeks; then she smiled awkwardly and let her hands be shaken along with mine.
"My, what a warm atmosphere between the two of you."
"Huh? Lady Sangrim?"
Somehow Sangrim had appeared. With a mischievous face and hands clasped behind her back she stared openly at our joined hands.
"Ah... forgive me. I was so happy I couldn't help myself..."
"No need! That day I was the same..."
When I released Sima Lang's hands she shyly stroked them, the gesture itself refined and full of grace.
"And what brings you here, Lady Sangrim?"
"I could hardly miss a spectacle this good. Besides, wherever Lang goes, Rim cannot be left behind."
"Will you also stay as a guest retainer? Was the bedding in Yawang that comfortable?"
"No. I intend to take office under Magistrate Yu."
"...?"
An answer I had never imagined. Sangrim was not content to remain a guest; she meant to become our colleague outright.
"Are you truly certain? He is only a county magistrate who cannot even grant a sinecure."
"Who knows? If, as you say, Young Master Do, Magistrate Yu's vessel is too vast for me to measure, perhaps I will rise far higher than Lang someday. Above all, repaying the grace of one who saved my life and allowed me to remain in my homeland is the duty of a scholar."
"..."
Sangrim declared she would serve Yu Bi purely on the principle of grace and debt. And though it was only my own thought, I suspected Sima Lang would have made the exact same choice if not for her family's opposition.
Otherwise she would never have been gazing at Sangrim with such open regret...
Two A-rank politicians had been recruited; work had to begin at once. At last the time had come for the [First Yawang Development Plan] to show its face to the world.
Gathered in the county office were myself, Yu Bi, Sima Lang, Sangrim, Lu Zhi, and Gan Ong. Yu Bi spoke first.
"What is all this?"
"We will implement [Tuntian]. Of course we must first spread farming techniques and survey the land."
"Tuntian meaning..."
"You call yourself a magistrate and you don't even know that? In wartime or on frontiers constantly threatened by the enemy, soldiers themselves till the fields so the army can feed itself. But I've never heard of anyone running military colonies right under the capital's nose."
"Isn't this a situation where bloodshed could erupt at any moment? If we finish the work as fast as possible and sow the seed, we can harvest wheat next spring."
Once the [Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition] began in earnest, a catastrophic food shortage was certain. We needed to stockpile as much military grain as possible beforehand.
"Not a bad idea. A great upheaval is about to hit Henei; best to prepare early."
Sima Lang activated her unique ability [Crisis Detection]. Historically, the moment the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition rose she had instantly read the situation, fled to Liyang, and preserved the Sima clan.
"Leave the farming to me. Surveying the land of a single county like Yawang won't take long."
Sangrim was a civil official specialized in agriculture, and her ability reduced the Political Power cost of technical projects, making her perfect for the job.
"A shame, though. Wouldn't it be better to cultivate even wider land?"
At that moment Gan Ong unleashed his [Cutting Remark] skill—cooldown six full months. Yu Bi asked,
"All we have is Yawang. How are we supposed to get more land?"
"No, Gan Ong is right. If we can expand the military colonies as far as nearby On County, projected revenue doubles."
"So how exactly...?"
How? Simple. The new moon was still some time away; until then I had to wring every drop of use from Intelligence 100.
That afternoon I rode for On County with the troops under Zhang Fei's command. Without preamble I walked into the magistrate's office and declared,
"I am the Inspector sent by the Governor of Henei. Magistrate, submit to inspection at once."
An Inspector (Inspector) was the official who assisted the governor by touring the commandery and conducting audits.
"An inspection out of nowhere? We haven't done anything wrong."
"Whether you've done wrong or not is for me to decide. Don't you see the order bearing the governor's seal?"
When I produced the irrefutable proof, their mouths snapped shut. How had I forged the governor's seal when the Left-Left Flow Earth-Escape Art had already ended?
Why forge anything when Wang Guang sat in the palm of my hand? Just as Cao Cao would later borrow the Son of Heaven's name to command the feudal lords, I had propped up a governor and was now playing with the county magistrates.
In short: Holding the Governor to Command the County Magistrates (Using the governor to command the county magistrate).
Presently the assistant magistrate and the commandant of On County brought every document they had. They hadn't committed any real corruption, but they were still nothing more than bureaucrats desperate to keep their posts.
With Intelligence 100 I examined everything with a hawk's eye; errors leapt out everywhere. I immediately produced the evidence and pressed them hard.
"How do you process work when not a single document matches? Does your salary even go down your throat like this?"
"B-but errors of that degree exist everywhere..."
"Silence! The Governor is greatly angered. I now convey his command. The Magistrate of On County and all subordinate officials are hereby suspended indefinitely until a memorial is submitted to the court and a reply received."
"Suspended?! Even a governor cannot simply dismiss a county's officials at will!"
"I said suspended, not dismissed. Salaries will continue as before, so go home, rest, and reflect on your mistakes. For the time being, administration of On County will be handled from Yawang."
"...?"
Forbidden to work yet still paid? At the prospect of paid leave that transcended eras, smiles spread across the faces of the magistrate and his staff. From their point of view it was pure luck.
My only goal was to transfer On County's administrative authority to Yawang. They were freeloaders wasting rice, but the moment I actually fired them they would petition the court; treating them like livestock this way was far more convenient.
"Whoa! As expected of Lord Do Yeop! How did you even think of impersonating an Inspector?"
"You lot got the exact same treatment once, didn't you? Now that power is in our hands we simply use it the same way. And since I didn't actually fire them, they'll be happy about it."
"Got it! Yide will help with that Tuntian thing too!"
"..."
With your pathetic stats? Impossible. Your job is to maintain public order and train the soldiers. And one more thing.
Just keep Guan Yu—who might fly off in any direction—under control.