Chapter 1066: Handing Over the Knife

"Body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents; one dares not destroy or abandon them. Open your mouth!"

Little Pillar took the thin slice of flesh he had carved and stuffed it into the Captain's mouth.

The Captain muffled cries, his jaws clenched tight, lips sealed, shaking his head frantically, his entire body radiating refusal. This stemmed partly from the terror of eating his own flesh, and partly because his frantic writhing aggravated the pain of his fractured bones and the piercing sword wounds; though he hadn't opened his mouth to scream, the muffled sounds still carried a distinctly mournful and piercing quality.

Ultimately, that thin slice of flesh was never fed into his mouth; Little Pillar tossed it to the ground, and looking at the Captain, who clearly breathed a sigh of relief, he said, "Speak up, then. Who ordered you to act this way?"

"It was this humble one acting on his own initiative..."

Little Pillar, who was wiping his dagger with a rag, paused at these words and made as if to resume the torture.

The Captain hastily said, "It truly was this humble one acting on his own initiative. After the Prefect's appointment order arrived in Fushi following the Lantern Festival, this humble one once drank wine with the Commander. He said that once the Prefect took office, our good days would be over; we would even be implicated, stripped of rank, our homes raided, and sent to the front lines to die. He also said that whoever could kill the Prefect would certainly not die."

"Anyway, we are far from the sky and distant from the Emperor; we could fake our deaths to escape, then simply change our identities. Moreover, every civil and military official in the city, big or small, would be delighted to see it happen, and might even promote us further, offering us better prospects. So this humble one was momentarily confused and committed this wrong. Prefect, spare my life..."

"What is your relationship with this Commander?"

"He is this humble one's third uncle." Of course, the Captain knew he shouldn't betray his own third uncle, but he had no choice; he couldn't withstand the pressure...

Wang Yan nodded, confirming that this suicidal Captain was speaking the truth.

Killing him now was indeed a good thing; of course, this Captain was bound to die. Calling it a "good thing" applied only to the anxious officials of Yanzhou; for those officials and powerful families Wang Yan had already dealt with, for those who couldn't sleep at the mere thought of Wang Yan, it was absolutely not a good thing for this tiny Captain—he must die. And that Commander was the same.

After all, daring to draw blades against a civil official—was that proper? The officials of Yanzhou also needed to shift the blame; otherwise, if they commanded local troops to kill an official, they wouldn't fare well either. Only when both the Captain and the Commander were dead, and a batch of senior officers and generals stripped of rank, would this matter be considered settled.

Was it truly that no one wanted to kill Wang Yan when he arrived safely in Yanzhou? It was that no one dared to act. Sending too few meant they couldn't win; sending too many meant they couldn't catch him; sending even more would mean it wasn't just Wang Yan who would die.

And if Wang Yan did not die, he probably wouldn't even need to go to Yanzhou to take up his post; he would surely be given a position in the capital to supervise this matter, which would be another disaster for everyone...

It was simply that his reputation was now too great; he was no longer the man who had been obstructed by the local Signatory Judge when going to Hangzhou. The deeds he had accomplished were bigger and bolder with each passing one. As news of his awesome feats spread, the masters who usually held themselves high began imagining how unfortunate everyone would be once he smoothly took office, so much so that before they had even seen Wang Yan in person, they had already harbored thoughts of resistance.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow. In merely four years, the mere mention of Wang Mou's name was enough to make people tremble...

Paying no further attention to the brainless Captain, Wang Yan waved Zhang Da over: "You tell this official who among these are the Captain's confidants. Before you speak, think clearly: killing an official is akin to rebellion and treason, and all of you should originally be implicated and punished. This official is kind-hearted and does not wish to implicate the innocent. Do you understand?"

"This humble one understands."

Zhang Da nodded so vigorously his head seemed to pound garlic, and immediately began naming names.

Counting the squad of over ten men lying on the ground, totaling fewer than seventy, he ultimately pointed out more than twenty individuals; adding the over ten men already destined to be expelled from the unit, this single company was left with fewer than thirty soldiers.

Wang Yan spoke loudly: "This official has always been fair and strict; you need not fear. If you have not committed crimes or harmed the people, at worst you will only be discharged from the military registers. This official also cannot stand by and watch you freeze or starve to death without land or property; I will certainly devise a livelihood for you. My reputation is known to all: besides being ruthless, I am adept at raiding homes. Once I have sorted out the affairs of the prefecture, you will definitely have land, houses, and wives."

"This official previously served as the Assistant Prefect of Hangzhou and as an Patrol Commissioner of the Kaifeng Military Patrol Court..."

As was his custom, Wang Yan briefly explained how he treated his subordinates, lightly mentioning how he dealt with offenders, but heavily emphasizing the treatment received by the Hangzhou militia and the runners and assistants in the Patrol Court.

To speak plainly, the assistants in the Patrol Court were treated better than these militia soldiers.

After speaking at length like this, he had those pointed out confess their crimes themselves, demonstrating his scale of law enforcement on the spot. This prompted those not pointed out to even voluntarily confess past misdeeds.

It also led some to seize the opportunity and directly report others. Wang Yan naturally did not disappoint them; needing no Recording Aide, Judicial Aide, Assistant Prefect, or Judge, he passed sentence directly, making the consequences crystal clear.

The big stick had been wielded, but the sweet dates could not yet be distributed; therefore, Wang Yan immediately selected a few who still appeared combat-capable, pardoned their crimes, retained their military registration, and simultaneously kept forty soldiers from this company.

After such maneuvers, the eyes of these forty men looking at Wang Yan were full of eagerness; he had also, before even entering the city, gathered a group of capable hands, which was very important.

Because currently, it seemed that officials and soldiers in the border regions acted with a relatively wild style; otherwise, few fools would dare to appear at the city gate refusing to recognize documents and forcibly kill a court-appointed official.

Just after Wang Yan had organized his troop, a large crowd of civil and military officials rushed out hurriedly from within the city.

The large group bowed with clasped hands to Wang Yan, and the person standing at the very front said, "Prefect Wang, we have long heard of the Prefect's great name but lacked the fortune to meet you; seeing you today, you are indeed dignified and extraordinary. We truly did not know the Prefect was arriving in Fushi today to take office; failing to welcome you from afar, we hope the Prefect will not blame us."

Wang Yan returned the bow and asked with a smile, "You must be Assistant Prefect Zhou?"

"Indeed, this lowly official is."

Wang Yan, however, did not wait for Assistant Prefect Zhou to say anything more, but instead beckoned Zhang Da: "Who is the Captain's third uncle, the Commander?"

"Sir, this man is he."

Zhang Da pointed to a man in his forties wearing standard military official attire, lagging at the very back and trembling.

Wang Yan beckoned to that man: "Come here."

"Prefect, injustice, injustice! This lowly official has done nothing... Ah..."

Little Pillar simply accelerated his run-up and delivered a flying kick that kicked his nonsense right back down his throat.

Impatiently, Little Pillar waved to Zhang Da: "What are you standing there for? Men, bind this rebel."

Assistant Prefect Zhou was deeply puzzled; he stepped forward, frowning, and said, "What is the Prefect doing? Having just arrived in Yanzhou, you apply private punishment to militia soldiers, and now you even indulge your servant in beating a militia Commander, labeling him a rebel? Acting this way, the Prefect, I fear, does not conform to the laws of our Great Song."

"Upon this official's initial arrival in Fushi, this man attempted to tear up this official's appointment certificate and transfer orders, accused this official of impersonating a court-appointed official, and attempted to forcibly kill this official, but was subdued by me. Just now, under interrogation, he confessed that he was instigated by his third uncle, the Commander; here is the human evidence. What instruction does Assistant Prefect Zhou have for me?"

"Such a vile thief deserves ten thousand deaths. Prefect, rest assured; this lowly official will certainly make these uncle and nephew pay the price and vent the Prefect's anger."

"What anger does this official have? Why should Assistant Prefect Zhou trouble himself?" Wang Yan waved his hand, completely rejecting Assistant Prefect Zhou's attempt to minimize the incident.

When he served as an Assistant Prefect, he had already performed the duties of a Prefect. Now, after enduring four years, he had ascended to the position of Prefect; he was inherently the lawful superior, so how could this Assistant Prefect Zhou strip him of power?

Ignoring Assistant Prefect Zhou's unpleasant expression, he said cheerfully, "Do you gentlemen know why this uncle and nephew sought to kill this official? It is because my reputation is not very good; people call me a cruel official, my enemies fill the world, and everyone hates that I do not die. What these two plotted and said was that if they killed this official, they would remain unharmed, claiming that the prefectural officials would certainly celebrate and help them escape, securing their prospects..."

"Absolutely no such thing!" Assistant Prefect Zhou was furious; he kicked the Commander, who was being dragged past him, and said, "Prefect, we all abide by the law and serve with sincere hearts, caring deeply for the Jiangshan of our Great Song."

"Damn your mother, you're spouting bullshit!" the Commander shouted loudly, "Sir, just after the Lantern Festival, after the transfer order documents arrived from the capital, the prefecture's accounting office caught fire, and reportedly the accountants fled to Western Xia. Subsequently, within one month, across the ten counties of Yanzhou and various military stockades, accounting offices were either flooded, burned, lost, or gnawed by rats. These beasts in clothing are all rebels; Sir, investigate clearly, investigate clearly!"

"Oh? Assistant Prefect Zhou, gentlemen, is this truly the case?"

Wang Yan gave the Commander an affirmative glance: Your life, this official will protect.

This Commander was truly a smart man; of course, speaking nonsense to his good nephew while drunk didn't prove he was smart, but at least, this speech he gave now proved he wasn't foolish.

He keenly grasped Wang Yan's intention to consolidate power and vigorously rectify the prefecture's administration, and very wisely, instead of demanding any guarantees from Wang Yan before speaking, he directly exposed the truth. He didn't even argue against Wang Yan's claim that he and his nephew had conspired to rebel. His understanding of power clearly surpassed that of his foolish nephew. Whether it was rebellion or not was for Wang Yan to decide.

Under normal circumstances, Wang Yan would naturally discover this situation after beginning his work; but knowing it then, versus knowing it now, and knowing it from someone else's mouth—these are two entirely different matters.

Now, with all personnel present, Wang Yan had dozens of soldiers under his command, and this was happening before the eyes of passing commoners. No matter how one looked at it, the significance was different.

This was seizing the principal contradiction.

First, a foolish Captain committed a stupid act, attempting to forcibly kill a court-appointed official. Later, the officials of Yanzhou, trembling at the name of Wang Yan, collectively destroyed the account books. The style of action in the border regions was indeed bolder, very courageous, and the path quite wild.

But Wang Yan preferred it this way, because it saved much circumlocution; he didn't need to waste effort studying the situation to find a breakthrough. This was purely them actively handing him a knife; if he didn't seize this opportunity to strike while the iron was hot, he would truly be letting down the great gift they had so painstakingly prepared...

Wang Yan's gaze swept across; no one dared to meet his eyes, all averting their gazes. Some lowered their heads, some looked at the onlooking commoners, some looked up at the sky pretending to be fools; simply no one answered.

It was not until Wang Yan's gaze landed on Assistant Prefect Zhou that the latter, wearing a troubled expression, hesitated and said, "Prefect... this... it is indeed true; incidents of fire, dampness, and rat bites are unavoidable. However, with disasters concentrating in the accounting office, there must be a cause; this lowly official has already arranged personnel to investigate this matter."

"Prefect Zhou is muddled," Wang Yan said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Truth be told, the fault lies with this official. Everyone knows that upon taking office, my first act is to audit the accounts; I have a reputation as a harsh official who delights in confiscating properties. Did they think burning the account house would let them escape consequences? Even if Prefect Zhou was not directly involved, such matters occurring in Yanzhou mean he cannot escape the charge of negligence. As Prefect, he bears undeniable responsibility and has already ruined Sun Sun Qiancheng's future. Just moments ago, he still sought to lead the prefectural officials in opposing me. Truly laughable."

He patted Prefect Zhou on the shoulder, preventing him from speaking, then waved his hand. "Prefect Zhou is guilty of negligence; all prefectural officials have neglected their duties. Suspend all public duties immediately. Wait until I memorialize His Majesty, the State Affairs Council, and the Bureau of Military Affairs; once the circumstances are investigated, we will deliberate further. You all shall escort these officials to the Prefect's residence for temporary lodging. Issue orders for the city's Xiang Army to assemble in formation. Furthermore, officials of the prefectural and county yamens must each perform their respective duties; do not allow chaos to arise. Anyone who disobeys orders shall be arrested first and questioned later. Zhang Da? Why are you standing there dazed?"

"Ah, yes, Excellency."

Zhang Da gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and led his men to escort a large group of officials into the city. This included those whom Wang Yan had previously notified were to be expelled from the ranks or even face legal punishment; they too consciously took up weapons and joined the action.

No one was a fool; at this moment, everyone was demonstrating their loyalty.

"Excellency, this humble subordinate..."

Wang Yan glanced sideways at him. "You are the commander of the Xiang Army. When I issue an order to assemble, to whom do you think I am speaking?"

"Yes!"

The unlucky commander shouted excitedly at the top of his lungs. Immediately, he sprang up from the ground and ran joyfully into the city...

"Young Master, shouldn't we keep an eye on them? Once you let a tiger return to the mountains..." Little Wang Dongliang leaned in close, whispering like a sycophant.

Wang Yan flicked the silly boy on the forehead with his finger and smiled. "Do you think he is a tiger?"

"He isn't even as good as a cat."

Wang Yan beckoned with his hand. "Enter the city!"

The merchant caravan waiting nearby slowly began to move. Over a hundred burly men silently released the whistling sticks they had hidden beneath their cargo and followed Wang Yan into Fushi City...

The first matter upon entering the city was to proceed to the prefectural yamen, submit the documents, complete the appointment procedures, and receive the great seal of Fushi. Afterwards, he briefly addressed the mid- and low-ranking officials present, appointing several individuals on the spot to act in vacant positions.

Immediately thereafter, he carefully deliberated, formalized the preceding events into an official document, and dispatched a prefectural yamen messenger on a fast horse to rush it to Jingcheng.

Strictly speaking, his current actions were somewhat excessive. But times change and situations shift; had this been four years ago, Fan Zhongyan would have been the first to prosecute him for such conduct. However, today, four years later, his occasional overstepping of bounds posed no problem whatsoever.

Rules have always depended on who they are applied to.

Why was he transferred to Yanzhou? It was to utilize his excellent qualities—his skill at raising funds, his ruthless methods, his knowledge of military affairs, his sense of propriety, and his loyalty to the Great Song—to rectify border affairs here.

Therefore, relatively speaking, his authority here was quite substantial. Moreover, he had superiors above him to provide checks and balances, and military power was not entirely vested in his person; everyone, from top to bottom, felt reassured.

Having completed these matters, Wang Yan finally made his way to the Xiang Army camp in the north of the city.

Fushi served as a rear area; the focus of Yanzhou's defense lay not in Fushi itself but in the outer ring of battle lines. Thus, although the Yanzhou Xiang Army numbered over twenty thousand, only two thousand were stationed in Fushi City, responsible for maintaining stability and handling various engineering projects unavoidable for the Xiang Army. Those actually capable of combat numbered fewer than fifteen hundred, and even that was merely a figure on paper. After deducting ghost soldiers accounting for one-fifth to one-third of the rolls, one arrived at the actual headcount.

Therefore, the combat-ready Xiang Army troops within Fushi City numbered just over twelve hundred.

In addition, the Imperial Army had two battalions of infantry, totaling one thousand men and horses, garrisoned in Nancheng. However, the Imperial Army likewise engaged in the practice of claiming pay for ghost soldiers; this was common custom within the military. Yet, affairs concerning the Imperial Army were not something Wang Yan could manage—of course, that was provided they behaved themselves.

Regarding the rectification of the Xiang Army, Wang Yan had the precedent of the Hangzhou Xiang Army to follow; the Yanzhou Xiang Army was no different, except that they would truly be dragged out to fight. His rectification was precisely for the purpose of warfare; if not for fighting, all these maneuvers would be meaningless.

Wang Yan did not rush to deal with prefectural affairs because he did not yet have enough subordinates. When he acted, he would not move lightly; once he moved, it would inevitably involve massive implication, implicating even those who had no connection, forcing connections where none existed.

Therefore, the beginning phase in Yanzhou required a two-step approach. First, orderly dismissal and recruitment of the Xiang Army, followed by resolving the resettlement issues for discharged soldiers. Second, gradually begin sorting out prefectural affairs, bit by bit cultivating one's own people in various departments.

Afterwards, using the investigation of the officials he had rounded up as the starting point, he would gradually expand the implications, sweeping through the entirety of Yanzhou.

The officials of Yanzhou had mistaken his methods. They thought auditing accounts was Wang Yan's signature tactic, and that, barring accidents, the ever-normal granaries throughout Yanzhou would be filled. But in reality, relying on his formidable capabilities, his tough style of execution, and his practice of massively implicating others—this was his true method.

Thus, upon his initial arrival in Yanzhou, despite Wang Yan's such powerful working ability and efficiency, because the heads of all departments had been swept away in one net, he was forced to operate around the clock himself.

The main reason was that he was too domineering, and the time they had interacted was too short; even though he had assigned personnel to temporarily manage official duties, these people dared not make decisions on their own. For every matter, they necessarily had to come to him for instructions.

At the same time, Wang Yan had to train the Xiang Army, monitor criminal activities among its members, begin investigations into those imprisoned officials, and handle other daily affairs of the prefecture.

Furthermore, he had to implement some minor internal reforms within the yamen's operations, screen various personnel to confirm their capabilities and loyalty, occasionally hold 'confession sessions' with those he had already frightened out of their wits, and process voluntary reports and exposures from others.

Most critically, regarding infrastructure projects to stimulate the regional economy, he also had to simultaneously dispatch people to conduct surveys and have plans drawn up, resulting in a constant stream of requests for instructions on both major and minor matters.

One matter after another, all crashing down upon him, naturally left him exhausted. Indeed, since assuming office, he had not even gone to his residence to see the situation there.

It was not that his ability was lacking, but rather that there were too many foundational tasks. The reason he could always appear leisurely was that he delegated these tasks to others.

The situation now was the same, merely for a short period.

As the time spent interacting increased, he gauged others' capabilities, character, and loyalty, while they likewise gauged his general personality, habits, and standards; naturally, he gradually began offloading work onto them.

These 'others' also included the officials dispatched from the capital to take over positions.

The Prefect certainly could not remain in office; personnel in other key posts, such as the Judicial Commissioner, the Recorder, various Military Advisors, as well as the County Magistrates, Chief Clerks, and County Commandants of the county yamens, all had to be stripped of their posts. Even if they had committed no faults, they still had to be removed.

Under the system of leadership responsibility, combined with Wang Yan's deliberate expansion of scope, this was the inevitable outcome. The difference lay in whether one had powerful backers; those with strong backing would see their official careers continue, while those without backing or with weak support would be sidelined, waiting for a fate that would basically never arrive.

Regardless of how people in Bianjing cursed Wang Yan for stirring up trouble, they had to dispatch personnel immediately. Because this was a border region, one could not give the enemy an opportunity; priority was established there.

Therefore, in less than a month, new officials successively assumed their posts.

Regarding these people, Wang Yan had only one requirement: obedience. Only those who obeyed could get things done; those who could not obey might as well stay idle. After all, a month's time was sufficient for Wang Yan to sort through everything from top to bottom, marginalizing dissenters and waiting until he had free hands to deal with them one by one. Others would find it difficult to accomplish anything.

At the same time, Wang Yan had preliminarily processed the over twenty thousand Xiang Army troops through a round of dismissals and dispositions, retaining only slightly more than five thousand. He then raised their pay and treatment, newly recruited three thousand able-bodied men, and roughly organized and trained them. They were certainly not ready for war, but they were sufficient for internal suppression.

Having streamlined operations, tightened his grip on power, and secured troops for suppression, Wang naturally began swinging his blade.

After all, various infrastructure projects awaited funding and grain, and the resettlement of various personnel also awaited funding and grain. The Xiang Army side had only undergone preliminary integration and training; over ten thousand people had not yet been thoroughly resettled. These were all unplanned expenditures; wanting to request money from the capital was out of the question.

Therefore, Wang Yan had no choice but to act this way. The common people of Yanzhou should support this, and the local powerful families of Yanzhou should all be able to understand...