Chapter 10: Our Wei Family Has Power

No, there is only a rough sketch at the moment. Wei Ba shook the paper in his hand, "However, I can prepare ten thousand pages within two days. Does Mr. Cheng think that will be sufficient?"

Cheng An furrowed her brow slightly and her expression darkened: "General, do you have the account books ready?"

Yes. Wei Feng pushed Wei Ba forward and said: "This table was devised by my second brother Wei Ba. My father and I have reviewed it and both find it satisfactory. Of course, regarding the accounts, the final decision rests with you gentlemen. Second brother, please explain to the gentlemen how to use this table. Mr. Cheng is proficient in accounting; his words can greatly benefit you, so be sure to listen attentively."

Wei Ba admired his elder brother Wei Feng's eloquence while stepping forward to hand the freshly drawn draft of the account page to Cheng An with both hands. It was evident that Cheng An was the leader among these individuals, and his opinion held significant weight

"Major General, Dunwu has been ordered to report in." A young man with bright, piercing eyes approached and bowed, interrupting Wei Ba's contemplation

Wei Ba nodded: "Does Mr. Cheng mean to say that, excluding the time spent preparing the account books, one month is sufficient?"

Wei Ba can understand his father's mindset, but he is equally aware that what seems to be a straightforward matter is, from another perspective, actually a ticking time bomb. With Prime Minister Zhuge's strong disposition, how could he possibly tolerate the existence of an armed force that is not within his control? Will Wei Yan's eventual demise be related to this?

Cheng An took the sketch and glanced at the listed items. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he realized something, but he remained composed and casually handed it to the person next to him, stroking his beard in deep thought. After those few individuals had all reviewed it and returned it to Wei Ba, he finally asked: "Is this the watch?"

"Are you only just now remembering these things?" Wei Yan let out a cold laugh, feeling somewhat pleased. "Fortunately, we have all these items in the estate. You can write a list, and I will immediately arrange for someone to send it back, so they can make the necessary preparations. If you get up early tomorrow and arrive at the estate by noon, you should be able to get started."

Wei Ba sat at the bow of the boat, gazing at the shimmering silver waves of the Mian River under the moonlight, lost in thought. Wei Wu sat beside him, unable to resist the drowsiness, and had already fallen asleep, with bright drool dripping onto the deck.

"I dare not." Wei Ba politely returned the gesture, spreading the sketch on the table and providing a detailed explanation. He had just discussed the length of this form with Wei Yan and Wei Feng, making revisions, and now his presentation was even more coherent. His composure further solidified Cheng An's suspicion that this was a deliberate act by Wei Yan to enhance Wei Ba's reputation by having someone else do the work.

"I need several skilled stonemasons, a large amount of paper, and someone with good handwriting..." Wei Ba counted on his fingers, listing them one by one. After carefully considering, he realized that what seemed like a simple task was actually quite complex, requiring a considerable number of people and materials. He looked at Wei Yan with some concern: "Father, how long will it take to prepare all these?"

In the past, Wei Ba occasionally read history and was always indignant at the arrogance and tyranny of warlords who operated outside the central authority, wishing he could eliminate them all and achieve unification under heaven. However, now that he has become part of a warlord faction, he finds himself somewhat bewildered. Should the Wei family surrender their military power? Would surrendering military power ensure lasting peace for the Wei family?

In the village?" Wei Ba muttered to himself, not daring to voice it aloud. He did not expect that the Wei family actually had a village in Hanzhong. He thought for a moment: "No, I should hurry back tonight. The sooner I complete it, the sooner I can feel at ease."

"Sure." Wei Ba nodded in agreement with delight

His attitude made Cheng An and the others very satisfied, as they felt the dignity that the old generals should possess. With Wei Yan sitting coldly beside them, they also did not dare to make things too difficult for Wei Ba, nor did they want to embarrass him. Fortunately, their purpose was merely to assert their own presence; since that goal had been achieved, there was no need to entangle themselves too much with Wei Ba.

Wei Ba pondered for a moment: "Mr. Cheng, how long do you think it would take if we were to return these ledgers to each county for redoing them?"

Cheng An and the others left in a state of half-belief. It was only then that Wei Yan, who had not spoken a word from beginning to end, asked: "What must you do to produce ten thousand new forms within two days?"

Certainly, if it is to be rewritten, it is indeed a very burdensome task. Not addressing the matter in the document does not imply that they are willing to accept this task

Cheng An listened to Wei Ba's explanation while secretly pondering. It was inevitable that Wei Ba would rise to prominence, but at this moment, if we did not give him a little warning to let him know that our years of experience were not in vain, what status would we have in the governor's office in the future?

Cheng An stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "Preparing the ledger will take at least one month, and sending it back to redo the accounts should also take about half a month. Adding in the time for back and forth, I think it will take two months at least"

The number of people is limited by the accompanying population, and cannot expand indefinitely like - maps - books. To become stronger, stricter training and sharper weapons are crucial choices. It is only natural for Wei Yan to firmly grasp the inventions of Wei Ba.

"Two days? Ten thousand pages?" Cheng An's voice rose as he stared at Wei Ba for a while, then chuckled and said, "Are you joking, General?"

Wei Ba nodded quickly. Cheng An, upon hearing this, was somewhat surprised. They all knew that among Wei Yan's three sons, Wei Feng and Wei Wu were to join the military, while Wei Ba had poor health and had turned to civil affairs. However, in their eyes, Wei Ba was considered to have abandoned martial pursuits for scholarly ones, with his limited knowledge being just slightly better than that of an illiterate. He would likely end up as someone who merely kept accounts or served as a personal clerk. If it had been said before that Wei Ba had developed a new accounting method, Cheng An would have probably laughed. However, having now seen the format of the tables, he could immediately tell from his years of experience that this format was highly beneficial. At this moment, learning that this table was conceived by Wei Ba, Cheng An was very astonished.

Cheng An gave a knowing glance to Jin Caoli, who understood and cleared his throat to begin asking questions. Wei Ba was well-prepared and answered each one. He was very humble; for questions he could answer, he did so, and for those he truly found challenging, he turned the tables and asked the other party for their insights, inquiring if they had better solutions. If their suggestions were indeed good, he was open to making adjustments.

Then I will leave it to Mr. Cheng. Wei Ba sincerely bowed again, taking a step back and remaining silent. He understood that while this matter was not particularly significant, it was nonetheless a major issue in the rivalry of pride between his father and Yang Yi. To render Yang Yi speechless in his area of expertise was undoubtedly a very satisfying achievement. More importantly, this would be his first impressive appearance before Prime Minister Zhuge.

"National affairs are no laughing matter," Wei Ba said with a serious expression. "Mr. Cheng, if you do not believe me, I will present the new account pages to you in two days. If there are any discrepancies with the current draft, then you may consider me to be joking."

Wei Feng and Cheng An's expressions softened a bit, and then he smiled and said: "I also understand that there are too many ledgers, and it is certainly not an easy task to review them all again. Moreover, even if we do review them, mistakes are inevitable." He turned around and pointed to Wei Ba: "We have studied this matter and come up with a new method, which we believe may be somewhat useful, and we would like to invite you gentlemen to discuss it together."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. It is likely that this form is something Wei Yan wants to use to elevate Wei Ba, perhaps having invited an expert to create a new accounting method, and then deliberately presenting it as Wei Ba's invention.

Wei Yan immediately arranged for Wei Wu to escort Wei Ba back to Nanzheng with several troops. Accompanying Wei Ba were the master blacksmith and his two apprentices, who were working with him to create new weapons. Wei Yan had redeemed them from being official slaves. Transitioning from official slaves to private slaves, they did not feel much difference, merely accepting their fate with indifference. However, for Wei Ba, this action held profound significance. After Wei Yan instructed him to finalize the new accounting books, the blacksmith in the village focused on researching new weapons, no longer needing to go to Mianyang for the time being. In other words, the development of weapons had now become a private matter for the Wei family, and in the future, any weapons produced would first be used to equip the troops of the Wei family, essentially the private army of the Wei family.

The Wei family has a retinue. This is the foundation that Wei Yan established when he followed Liu Bei into Sichuan, serving as his means of survival and resources. Currently in Hanzhong, it is primarily composed of his retinue, totaling over 3,000 individuals. In such chaotic times, for a military general, the strength of his retinue largely represents the weight of his words. Wei Yan was able to rise from the position of a gate commander to become the governor of Hanzhong, holding this position for many years. This is certainly closely related to Liu Bei's trust in him, but Wei Yan's own capabilities and strength are also significant factors that cannot be overlooked. In such chaotic times, for a military general, the strength of his retinue largely represents the weight of his words. Wei Yan was able to rise from the position of a gate commander to become the governor of Hanzhong, holding this position for many years. This is certainly closely related to Liu Bei's trust in him, but Wei Yan's own capabilities and strength are also significant factors that cannot be overlooked.

Cheng An squinted his eyes, carefully scrutinizing Wei Ba. After a long pause, he said with a smile that did not reach his eyes: "If the Major General can truly accomplish this within two days, I can guarantee that within a month, all counties will definitely complete the reorganization of their accounts"

After making some improvements to the table, Cheng An finally cleared his throat and spoke. "General, this accounting method is good, but unfortunately it is too late. If it had been developed a few months earlier, using this method for accounting at that time would have been beneficial. However, now that the ledger has already taken shape, a sudden change in approach might be somewhat inappropriate. The Chancellor will arrive in Han in at most a month, and even if we prepare these new-style ledgers, we won't have enough time."

"Please, General, offer your guidance." Cheng An appeared respectful, yet actually bowed with an air of arrogance.

Wei Ba shook his head and smiled. He knew that Cheng An was unhappy. If he already had a ready-made ledger and still sought their advice, it would be nothing but empty words, purely a joke. Anyone in that position would feel displeased.

Wei Yan pondered for a moment and nodded in satisfaction: "Very well. It is only thirty miles from here to Nanzheng. If we take a boat downstream, we can arrive by tomorrow morning." He quietly looked at Wei Ba, "Young man, you are in good health, so do not overexert yourself. There will be plenty of time in the future. Strengthen your body now, and you will be able to accomplish more later."