Chapter 10

Wei Yan, along with his three sons, left the county seat of Nanzheng and arrived at Mianyang. This was not just for inspecting the counties; the most important task was to prepare a campsite for the large army led by Chancellor Zhuge Liang, who was about to lead over a hundred thousand troops into Hanzhong for a major northern campaign. Without a sufficiently large place to set up camp, it would be impossible. Mianyang, located on the north bank of the Mian River, at the foot of Yangping Mountain, and on the western edge of the Hanzhong Plain, could directly connect to the old route of Chencang to the north, enter Guanzhong, or go west into Longyou, and to the south, it was the direct route to Chengdu via the Jinniu Road. It was indeed the key location in western Hanzhong, and setting up camp here was the most suitable choice.

Following his father during the day, Wei Ba walked through the mountains and plains, examining the terrain and listening to his father explain various terrains and how to arrange alerts and camps. In the evenings, he reviewed the knowledge he had learned during the day by looking at maps, intensively supplementing his military foundation. His concerns about calligraphy and official documents gradually dissipated. His father Wei Yan and his elder brother Wei Feng were not learned men; their handwriting, though more proficient, was not much better than his, and their official documents were simple and straightforward, lacking any literary flair. After comparing the official documents sent from Chengdu, even Wei Ba felt somewhat ashamed. Looking at the official documents written by others, he realized that those were truly classical Chinese. The Wei family being seen as rough and uneducated warriors was not entirely unjustified.

Wei Ba did not dare to give orders to his father, but he could offer suggestions. During a casual conversation after dinner, Wei Ba tactfully made his request.

"Father, I want some money."

"What do you need money for?" Wei Yan, holding a wine cup in one hand and flipping through an account book with the other, frowned, looking in a bad mood. Without turning around, he asked casually upon hearing Wei Ba's words.

"I want to buy some books to read."

"Books? What kind of books?"

"The Art of War, The Classic of Filial Piety, The Spring and Autumn Annals, and if there's any left, some poetry."

"The Art of War and The Classic of Filial Piety are available in Nanzheng. I'll get them for you when we return." Wei Yan snorted, slammed the account book shut, and threw it to the ground, sternly ordering, "What kind of messy accounts are these? Take it, have them rewrite it clearly and send it again."

Wei Feng quickly picked up the account book, a bitter smile on his face. Wei Yan turned his head and looked at Wei Ba, "Reading The Spring and Autumn Annals can help you understand history, and it's not bad to read it when you have time. What use is The Book of Songs? Why buy it?"

"Reading The Book of Songs can broaden your knowledge and enhance your literary style. Didn't the teacher say, 'Words without style do not travel far'?"

"Bullshit!" Wei Yan spat, "Writing is for telling stories. What use is it if it's just pretty? Like these account books, clearly recording what items there are and how much inventory is left is the right way. If not, it's all bullshit. Even if you can talk beautifully, what use is it?"

Wei Ba remained silent. He knew his father was using this as an opportunity to express his disdain for Yang Yi. The Yang family was a prominent clan in Xiangyang, and their writing was undoubtedly excellent. Many of the official documents sent from the Chancellor's office in Chengdu were written by Yang Yi. Yang Yi probably deliberately included obscure references to humiliate the Wei family, which made his father very angry.

"Especially for us as generals, winning battles is the foundation of our existence. What use is good writing? Your old man can read and write official documents, but some people can't even recognize characters and still lead troops."

Wei Ba lowered his head, not daring to look at his father Wei Yan. He knew he had said the wrong thing today. A few days ago, while reading official documents, he saw a report about the achievements of the governor of Zangke, Ma Zhong, and asked about Ma Zhong's situation. He then learned that Ma Zhong had limited literacy and was considered semi-illiterate, while another general, Wang Ping, was completely illiterate, knowing only a few characters. In other words, the Wei family's ability to read and write official documents fluently already made them relatively learned.

Those who are worse than me are certainly not acceptable, but those who are better than me may not be useful. This was Wei Yan's current mindset.

Wei Feng nudged Wei Ba with his elbow, signaling him to stop. "Recently, expenses are tight, and buying books is not urgent. We can talk about it later."

Wei Ba nodded in understanding and glanced at the account book in Wei Feng's hand. "What is this?"

Wei Feng smiled bitterly. "This is the account book just sent by the magistrate of Mianyang. It's complex and mixed, making it hard to check, which is really a headache." He glanced at his father Wei Yan, who looked angry, and said in a low voice, "The Chancellor will be here soon, and Yang Yi will definitely come to check the accounts. If we can't clear up the accounts in time, we will inevitably be humiliated by him."

Wei Ba's eyes twitched, took the account book, and flipped through a few pages, immediately feeling a headache. These account books were all running accounts, recorded by date, with a final result written at the end. Whether the result was correct, only heaven knew. To check, the entire book would have to be recalculated from the beginning, and there could be no mistakes in the process, or it would have to be done again from the start.

These accounts not only made Wei Yan unhappy but also made Wei Ba feel dizzy. Thinking about the thick stack of account books just delivered by the magistrate of Mianyang, Wei Ba's temples began to throb. To clear up all these accounts before Yang Yi arrived was almost an impossible task. In other words, this time they were definitely going to be mocked by Yang Yi, their long-time enemy.

No wonder his father was in a bad mood.

Wei Ba thought for a while and suddenly said, "This account book is hard to check. We can redesign a form and have them fill it out again, which might be more convenient."

"Form?" Wei Feng was taken aback, looking at Wei Ba in surprise. Wei Yan, who was drinking alone, also glanced at Wei Ba. Wei Ba smiled, picked up a chopstick, and drew a diagram on the table with wine, explaining the format of the account book he remembered. Wei Yan's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. Wei Feng, however, was somewhat worried and said, "Your idea is good, but where can we get so many forms in a short time? I think the forms you described are quite complex. If we ask people to draw them one by one, no one will be willing to do it."

Wei Ba found this reasonable. If these account books had to be rewritten, it would require thousands of pages, and drawing them by hand would be a daunting task. Sigh, if only there was a photocopier, or even a mimeograph machine. As long as a plate was engraved, thousands of copies could be printed.

Wait, there might not be a mimeograph machine, but engraving a plate shouldn't be difficult. Wei Ba had a sudden idea and thought of woodblock printing. As the initial stage of printing technology, woodblock printing was more primitive than later movable type printing, but it was used for a very long time, even into the 21st century, for things like New Year paintings, which were even color-printed. When Wei Ba visited the woodblock printing museum in the ancient city of Yangzhou, he, out of a technician's instinct, had learned about this ancient technology.

"This shouldn't be a big problem. I can prepare ten thousand pages of forms in two days, but we need the counties to rewrite them..."

Wei Yan stroked his beard and thought for a moment. "As long as it's a good idea, they won't dare not to follow. I'm worried that your method might have some issues and be criticized, which could give others a handle."

Wei Ba smiled. Even if my accounting method is not perfect, it will definitely be several times better than your running accounts. Wei Feng, with more experience, thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Father, this is simple. We can invite the chief clerk Mr. Li and the clerks from each department to discuss whether Brother Ba's accounting method is applicable. They are all experienced in finance and should be able to judge."

Wei Yan nodded repeatedly and waved his hand. "A Feng, your words are reasonable. Go and arrange it quickly. If it's feasible, Ba should immediately take charge of it. Whatever he needs, just say it. The Chancellor is coming soon, and time is tight. The sooner it's done, the better."

Wei Yan acted swiftly and immediately had the clerks from each department called. These people had been busy all day and were enjoying a rare moment of leisure. Some of the older ones were already in bed, but they were suddenly called and were in a bad mood. However, they did not dare to show any displeasure in front of Wei Yan and stood silently in the hall.

Seeing the expressions on these people, Wei Yan felt uncomfortable and had a stern look on his face. Wei Feng, seeing this, quickly greeted them to avoid offending them when Wei Yan spoke.

"Gentlemen, I have called you here late to discuss a matter." Wei Feng pointed to the stack of account books. "This is the account book just sent by Mianyang. I believe you have all seen it. As experienced officials, what are your thoughts?"

Cheng An, the chief clerk, was from a prominent family in Nanzheng, nearly fifty years old, and the head of the clerks in the Hanzhong governor's office. Even the arrogant Wei Yan was somewhat wary of him. Hearing Wei Ba's words, the others all looked at Cheng An, who naturally raised his head and glanced at Wei Feng indifferently. "We have seen it, and we haven't found any problems. Has the young general noticed anything amiss?"

"I haven't noticed anything amiss. The accounts are complex, and if there are any issues, they might be hard to spot. Since all the senior gentlemen think there are no problems, I certainly won't doubt it." Wei Feng smiled, "However, Chancellor's assistant Yang Yi is skilled in calculations. Just because we can't see the problems doesn't mean he can't. What do you think, Mr. Cheng?"

Cheng An's gray eyebrows twitched, and his lips twitched, but he did not speak. He understood Wei Feng's meaning. As the chief clerk of the Hanzhong governor's office, he had represented Wei Yan multiple times to report to the Chancellor's office. Yang Yi's cunning and sharpness left a deep impression. Although Yang Yi targeted Wei Yan, Cheng An, an old man, was the one who faced the scolding, which made him very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, as Wei Feng said, Yang Yi was skilled in calculations, and he could spot any issues in the account books, a fact that even the experienced Cheng An had to admit. He had reviewed all the account books and found no problems, but that did not mean Yang Yi would not find any.

Is Wei Feng being cautious and asking us to recheck? Thinking of this, Cheng An's heart tightened.