The Granary Office

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The back hall of the Shanyin County government office was brightly lit. A round table was laden with wine and dishes, and Registrar Jiang Yun was pouring wine into the cup of Wei Changle, who sat at the head of the table.

The county government office was divided into three main halls: the front hall for trials, the middle hall for receiving guests, and the back hall, which served as the magistrate's dining area. At this moment, only Wei Changle and two of his subordinate officials were present in the hall.

Wei Gu and Zhinü, being Wei Changle's personal attendants, were not qualified to dine at the same table.

Seeing Wei Changle staring at the food and wine without touching his chopsticks, the two subordinate officials grew increasingly uneasy.

"Your Honor, Registrar Hou is a straightforward man," Jiang Yun said with a forced smile, carefully choosing his words. "He didn't mean to be disrespectful tonight. We're used to his ways, so please don't take it to heart."

Wei Changle finally looked up and said, "Oh," with a smile. "Being straightforward is a good thing. I'm not holding it against him." He sighed and added, "But seeing this table full of food and wine, I can't help but think of what I saw when I entered the city."

"What do you mean, Your Honor?"

"I saw people eating snow to stave off hunger, and it broke my heart," Wei Changle said, shaking his head. "Gentlemen, the people in the slums have no food to fill their stomachs. Does the government know about this? Why hasn't the granary been opened to distribute food? At the very least, we should set up a few porridge kitchens to keep them from starving."

The two officials exchanged glances. Jiang Yun sighed and said, "Your Honor, Assistant Magistrate Ding and I also wish to help the people, but... we're powerless. The county granary is empty. Even the most skilled housewife can't cook without rice. The county government truly has no means to help."

"The granary is empty?" Wei Changle asked in surprise. "Has all the grain been sent away?"

"Not exactly," Jiang Yun explained. "The grain is stored in the Granary Office. But the Granary Office isn't under our jurisdiction. The county government has no authority to requisition grain from there." As he spoke, he stood up and picked up the wine jug to refill Wei Changle's cup.

"What's this Granary Office?" Wei Changle asked, even more curious. "Is there really a place the county government can't control?"

Jiang Yun poured wine for Ding Sheng, the assistant magistrate, before sitting back down and explaining, "The Granary Office was established two years ago. It's a military granary."

"A granary for the Shanyin City garrison?"

"No," Jiang Yun shook his head. "Your Honor knows that border forts have been built, with twenty thousand troops stationed along the frontier. Naturally, they require a lot of supplies. Originally, the border troops' provisions were requisitioned and transported from Taiyuan Prefecture, with a shipment sent every three months. But things don't always go as planned."

Wei Changle crossed his arms and looked at Jiang Yun, listening intently.

"Your Honor must have encountered heavy snowstorms on your journey here, so you know how difficult travel can be," Jiang Yun continued. "Military provisions are as urgent as fire. If such weather prevents Taiyuan from delivering supplies to the front lines, the consequences would be disastrous."

Wei Changle immediately understood. "So the Granary Office is a reserve for the front lines?"

"Exactly," Jiang Yun said with a smile. "If the two convoys from Taiyuan can't deliver on time, we can requisition grain from the Shanyin Granary Office. With day and night travel, the grain can reach the front lines in just two days. The Granary Office stores ten thousand dan of grain year-round, enough to sustain the border troops for at least a month."

Wei Changle shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. Registrar Jiang, the Granary Office is a military granary. What does that have to do with the county granary? Are all the grain and taxes collected in Shanyin sent directly to Taiyuan, leaving nothing in the county granary for emergencies?"

"Your Honor, it's like this," Jiang Yun explained, as the registrar in charge of Shanyin's taxes and grain, he was well-versed in this matter. "After Yunzhou was ceded to the Tatars, Shuozhou became the front line, and Shanyin is now a border region. Therefore, the taxes collected in Shanyin are first used to ensure the salaries and expenses of the county's officials. Every six months, we take stock, and any surplus is sent to the Taiyuan treasury."

Wei Changle nodded slightly, understanding that this was a special circumstance. The court had to ensure the income of officials in border regions; otherwise, who would be willing to work in such dangerous areas for the court?

"In the past, the county granary would have reserves," Jiang Yun continued. "And to prepare for emergencies, the county granary always tried to store as much grain as possible. When it came to taxes, Shanyin would only pay in money, not grain."

Although the Great Liang had signed a peace treaty with the Tatars and both sides had ceased hostilities, no one could guarantee that the Tatars would abide by the rules. If they suddenly invaded from the south, Shanyin would inevitably become a battlefield. In the event of a siege, the city couldn't afford to run out of food. Therefore, storing extra grain in the city was a precautionary measure.

"If that's the case, how did the county granary's grain end up in the Granary Office?" Wei Changle asked, puzzled. "Are military provisions and county provisions being mixed together?"

Jiang Yun glanced at Ding Sheng, who was sipping tea with a relaxed expression, showing no intention of speaking. Jiang Yun had no choice but to explain, "After the Granary Office was established, it was placed under the guard of the Scattered Captain. He holds two positions, responsible for both city defense and the Granary Office. It's a heavy burden."

"Wait a moment." Wei Changle raised his hand to stop Jiang Yun, immediately recalling that Fu Wenjun had mentioned the Scattered Captain during their journey.

Three years ago, Ma Jingliang, a member of the Hedong Ma family, had been demoted and sent to Shanyin to serve as the Scattered Captain, responsible for city defense. The Shanyin city soldiers, known as the "Night Crying Troops," were under his command.

Jiang Yun looked at Wei Changle, who frowned and asked, "Is the Granary Office under Ma Jingliang's control?"

"So Your Honor knows the Scattered Captain," Jiang Yun said with a smile, nodding.

"I've heard that the city soldiers under his command are responsible for collecting taxes in Shanyin," Wei Changle said, staring at Jiang Yun. "Is this an order from the court?"

Jiang Yun hesitated for a moment, glancing at Ding Sheng before replying, "Well... not exactly. Originally, the Shanyin county government was responsible for collecting taxes and storing them in the granary. But two years ago... right after the Granary Office was established, several villages west of Shanyin suffered a drought. The villagers clashed with the tax collectors. When the Scattered Captain learned of this, he led dozens of cavalrymen to the scene and executed the ringleaders on the spot. The taxes were successfully collected afterward."

"Killing people for resisting taxes?" Wei Changle's expression darkened.

"Shanyin is plagued by bandits," Jiang Yun quickly explained. "If we don't deal with such matters harshly, it's possible that another group of bandits could emerge."

Wei Changle sneered, "This Scattered Captain is quite the efficient enforcer."

The two subordinate officials naturally detected the sarcasm in Wei Changle's tone but pretended not to notice. Jiang Yun continued, "Since then, the Scattered Captain has been sending city soldiers to collect taxes everywhere, leaving the county government with no role in the process. He also built a new granary near the military granary, nominally still part of the county granary. The collected taxes and grain are stored there, but... well, all the accounts are managed by the Granary Office. The county government isn't even allowed to take a look."

Wei Changle understood now. "So the authority over tax collection has fallen into the hands of the Granary Office, and you just stood by and watched?"

Jiang Yun gave an awkward smile, hesitating to speak further.

"So your salaries are now being paid by the Granary Office?" Wei Changle picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and asked, "Has Ma Jingliang become the county government's breadwinner?"

"That's correct," Ding Sheng, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. "The salaries of all Shanyin officials are paid by the Granary Office every three months. Both Registrar Jiang and I rely on the Granary Office for our livelihoods. That's why Registrar Jiang said the county government is powerless to help the people in the slums. We can't allocate a single grain of rice."

"Does the Taiyuan Prefecture know about this?"

"Perhaps... they do," Jiang Yun said. "But it's not a big deal. Even if they know, no one will bother to look into it." He laughed self-deprecatingly. "I might be the most idle registrar in Shanyin's history."

Wei Changle knew that the Shanyin county government had certainly not reported this matter to higher authorities.

The reason was simple: Ma Jingliang was a member of the Hedong Ma family, backed by Ma Cunge.

Ma Cunge was the commander of the infantry, with tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command. Not to mention a small county like Shanyin, even the entire Hedong region had few who dared to oppose the Hedong Ma family.

If this matter were reported, Ma Jingliang, with the backing of the Hedong Ma family, would undoubtedly remain unscathed, but the person who reported it would surely meet a tragic end.

Wei Changle understood that Ma Jingliang's interference in Shanyin's tax collection and his control over the county's finances were not impulsive actions but part of a well-planned scheme.

As the person in charge of Shanyin's city defense, he held military power. By forcibly taking over the authority to collect taxes, he also gained control over financial power. With both military and financial power in his hands, he had effectively become the true ruler of Shanyin, a veritable local emperor.

With all the county officials relying on the Granary Office for their salaries, how could they not obey him?

Wei Changle picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of braised meat, and tossed it into his mouth. As he chewed, he asked, "Registrar Jiang, from what you've said, it seems you were in charge of Shanyin's tax collection in the past. If that's the case, why didn't you try to reclaim that authority? You're an official appointed by the court, and it's your duty. Losing your authority means failing the court's trust."

"Your Honor, in the eyes of those above, I'm nothing more than a blade of grass," Jiang Yun said with a bitter smile. "The Scattered Captain is a member of the Hedong Ma family and holds military power in Shanyin. How could I, a mere official, dare to demand authority from him?"

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