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

Chapter 103 Planning for the Counties
"No conclusion has been reached yet," Mi Wei said with a light laugh.

"However, my father-in-law wrote to me before, saying that the King has other orders for me, and that after I have finished handing over the defenses of Dengcheng, I should go to Shu as soon as possible."

"Besides, I'm almost twenty, and it's time for me to go home for my coming-of-age ceremony."

Because Mi Wei was wearing a helmet, Kou Feng did not realize that Mi Wei was still a "boy" with his hair tied up and not yet wearing a crown.

They were all amazed.
"No wonder when we passed through Xiangfan before, everyone said that those who were not yet twenty years old but were able to open up new territories and establish new lands were Gan Luo in the past and Mi Wei in the future, both of whom were talents of unparalleled talent."

"At such a young age, Lord Deer has already expanded the territory by a hundred miles. He is truly a formidable young man!"

Mi Wei's face twitched slightly.

Similar praises have been coming in from the south quite often lately.

He's heard it so many times he's practically gotten calluses.

Even Xi Zhen, the prefect of Lingling, who was thousands of miles away and was Xi Hong's brother, sent an envoy north to offer congratulations.

Although the main reason for this is to thank Miwei for helping his brother make great contributions.

It can only be said that the boasts Fei Shi made back then have now spread from Hanmian to Xiangguan, from the Three Gorges of Badong to the shores of Dongting Lake.

Everyone knows it.

No wonder Liu Bei had other plans for him, sending him a thousand miles away.

Fei Gong has misled me!

Kou Feng had no idea that Mi Wei had so many inner monologues. After a sigh, he said:

“When Lord Mi entered Shu from Xiangfan, he should have gone upstream along the Han River, passed through three counties to enter Nanzheng, and then turned south along the Shu Road to Chengdu, is that correct?”

“Indeed.” Mi Wei nodded.

"Furthermore, I heard that Master Pan has recently been appointed as the Prefect of Nanxiang, so I took the opportunity to pay him a visit and offer my congratulations."

Yes, Old Deng has a new position.

The reason he actively helped Liu Bei resolve the potential threat of "Liu Feng" was...

It certainly wasn't out of a spirit of selflessness.

Instead, he recently performed admirably in accepting the surrender of the Mei family and five counties along the Han River on behalf of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, in his capacity as the Prefect of the State.

He was then appointed Prefect of Nanxiang and continued to recruit people from Mianbei to come south and submit to him.

The Nanxiang Commandery he was in charge of (which only included the southern part) was sandwiched between the three eastern commanderies and Xiangyang Commandery.

Therefore, resolving the hidden dangers in the three counties means eliminating the threats around us.

All I can say is that Harden is still the same old Harden.

No profit can not afford to be early.

"I see." Kou Feng nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, he grabbed Miwei's hand and whispered:
"Beware of Meng Zidu!"

……

After completing the handover with Kou Feng, Mi Wei immediately led his troops south back to Xiangyang.

Today, Xiangyang City is not only the seat of Xiangyang Commandery, but also the seat of Jingzhou under Liu's jurisdiction.

Guan Yu personally oversaw the defense of this city.

The journey south was smooth and unimpeded.

When they arrived in Fancheng, Guan Ping, the general who had already moved his troops to the city, personally came out of the city to greet them and escorted Mi Wei and his party across the Han River to the south.

From here on, more and more people started to walk on the road.

Once they entered Xiangyang City
But there were groups of three or five pedestrians on the street.

It is quite different from the desolate landscape north of Dengcheng.

It was completely different from when I went north a few months ago.

As a scholar from Xuzhou, Mi Wei couldn't help but pause and contemplate the vibrant scene of life and all things flourishing.

It wasn't just his imagination.

It should be noted that Xuzhou, like Nanyang and Xiangyang in Jingzhou, is geographically well-connected.

In peacetime, such geographical advantages easily attract people and turn a region into a prosperous state.

How did the Mi family of Donghai accumulate such wealth that they became the richest family in the region?
Mi Zhu's personal abilities are one aspect.

However, Xuzhou's unique geographical advantages are also an important objective reason.

But during times of turmoil, good things can turn into bad things.

With well-developed roads and prosperous counties, it was inevitable that various warlords and regional lords would vie for control of the region.

It then became a battleground and quickly declined.

Success and failure both stem from being open-minded.

It was quite the opposite of the remote and isolated areas like the three eastern counties.

Of course, as Pan Jun said, the three eastern counties have now effectively become an "inner county".

After all, its northwest side, which seems to border Guanzhong, is actually the Qinling Mountains, which stretch for thousands of miles and are rarely visited by people.

The only real connection to the outside world is through the east and west exits.

Once both the eastern and western ends are occupied, the isolation of the three prefectures will be detrimental rather than beneficial.

On this journey westward into Sichuan, I must take a good look at the local customs and geography.

In any case, witnessing Xiangfan regain its popularity is a testament to the worth of all the efforts of the past year.

……

Soon, the group arrived at the former general's residence.

The person who greeted them at the gate was none other than Yang Yi, the Duke of Yangwei.

Several months later, this man looked radiant and was a far cry from his former self.

Miwei certainly knew why.

Although Deng Zhi did not go north to defend Xiangyang as he had previously advocated.

But Yang Yi finally escaped the position of Jiangxia County Magistrate, which was nominal and without real power.

He was promoted to the position of Chief Secretary of the General's Office for his meritorious service and served in Xiangyang.

Together with Zhang Yi, another chief secretary who remained in Jiangling, they were positioned in the north and south respectively, assisting Guan Yu in managing state affairs.

How could Yang Yi not be excited about such a prestigious position as a cardinal?
Yang Yi: "Commander Mi has arrived just in time. General Guan has important matters to discuss with you. Please come in with me quickly to pay your respects!"

There is nothing wrong with the deer's might.

Before long, everyone paid their respects to Guan Yu.

Guan Yu offered words of encouragement and then rewarded each of them.

Then only Mi Wei and Yang Yi remained to continue their discussion.

Yang Yi spoke first:
"In the past two years, both Jing and Yi provinces have expanded their territory by a hundred li. Although this is a joyous occasion, it is difficult to manage properly due to the instability of the bureaucracy and personnel."

"His Majesty intends to restore the old system of reporting to the provincial and county governments, starting this winter."

“In addition to the prefectures and counties, the state departments also have to submit reports.”

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei, who was already familiar with the Han system, immediately understood.

The so-called "Shangji" was a local performance evaluation system that arose alongside the prefecture-county system.

It has existed since the pre-Qin period.

Specifically, at the end of each year, local counties had to report to the imperial court on the state's situation regarding granaries, cultivated land, taxes, population, public security, and so on, and compile these reports into a book called "Ji Bo".

The county magistrate and county head would submit their reports to the prefect and the prime minister, who would then submit their reports to the imperial court, and so on, layer by layer.

In addition, the governor or prefect of a state also needs to submit a report.

However, the main focus is on the performance and shortcomings of county and prefecture officials, and an annual monitoring report is prepared.

This approach was already familiar to veterans like Guan Yu and Yang Yi, who came from the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling.

For young people like Mi Wei, born in a chaotic era, it felt like a different world.

However, since Liu Bei was determined to inherit the legacy of the Han Dynasty and govern the country, the necessary systems still needed to be in place.

At this time, both the North and South are temporarily entering a period of rest and recuperation.

We should focus on internal governance to plan for the future.

Yang Yi then said:

"The positions of governor of Jing and Yi provinces are both held by Your Majesty."

"Therefore, the responsibility of supervising local areas has always been the responsibility of the chief officials in charge of discipline in each prefecture."

"In Jingzhou, it is naturally Pan Biejia and Pang Zhizhong."

“Prefect Pan has other duties in the southern region, but let’s leave that aside.”

“When Pang Zhizhong was traveling through the prefectures to Xiangyang a month ago, he unexpectedly reunited with his wife and daughter, whom he had been separated from for twelve years.”

"The Lord, mindful of the rare opportunity for his family to reunite, has granted Pang Zhizhong leave to rest and has selected another official to go to Shu."

At this point, Guan Yu and Yang Yi both looked at Mi Wei.

Seeing this situation, Mi Wei knew perfectly well that he had become the glorious clerk of Jingzhou.

Why is it that Pang Lin has a wife, kids, and a warm bed, while I'm still a single dog?

If you don't work overtime, who will?
Not to mention that he was originally going to Sichuan anyway.

Of course, it's also possible that he was given this assignment precisely because he was to be appointed to an official post in Shu.

This serves as the final assessment before an official appointment.

Don't underestimate the fact that the clerk in charge of accounting is only on a temporary assignment.

In reality, due to geographical separation, the authority to supervise local affairs in Jingzhou was delegated to the provincial officials.

Now, at the crucial moment of year-end accounting, the accounting clerks naturally hold the most power.

Next year in Jingzhou, who among those below Guan Yu will be promoted and who will be dismissed?

Mi Wei may not make decisions with a single word, but he definitely has some influence.

He immediately consulted the two men about precautions, fearing he might mess up the mission.

Fortunately, Pang Lin had already done most of the preliminary work.

Mi Wei only needed to compile the remaining inspection reports from Nanxiang County and the three eastern counties into a book and send it to Shu along with Pang Lin's report.

These were all tedious administrative tasks, and Mi Wei planned to consult Yang Yi in detail when he returned, so he left them aside for now.

Thinking that this was the last time he would see Guan Yu before entering Shu, he said:

"Did my maternal uncle leave any further instructions before this trip to Sichuan?"

(End of this chapter)