Wei Yan and his three sons left the county of Nanzheng and came to Mianyang. Not only to inspect the counties, but the most important task was to prepare campsites for the incoming army led by Prime Minister Zhuge. Prime Minister Zhuge will lead more than ten people this time.
Ten thousand troops stationed in Hanzhong and launched the Northern Expedition. Without a large enough place to camp, Mianyang is located on the north bank of Mianshui River, at the eastern foot of Yangping Mountain, and at the westernmost edge of the Hanzhong Plain. To the north, you can go directly to the old Chencang Road and enter Guanzhong, or to the west.
On the right side of Longlong and to the south is the Jinniu Road that leads directly to Chengdu. It can be said to be the key point in the western part of Hanzhong. It is really the most suitable place to camp here.
Follow Dad to walk in the mountains and plains during the day, check the terrain, listen to Dad explain various terrains, how to arrange alerts, and set up camp. At night, look at the map to review the knowledge points learned during the day, and supplement the military foundation. Wei Ba takes over
The days after coming down were tense and fulfilling. The worries about calligraphy and official documents disappeared unconsciously. Father Wei Yan and eldest brother Wei Feng are not learned people. In addition to being more proficient in calligraphy, they are better than others.
He was not much better, and the official documents he wrote were simple and straightforward, with no literary grace at all. After comparing the official documents sent from Chengdu, even Wei Ba himself felt a little ashamed of himself. Look at the official documents written by others, they are called classical Chinese.
Well, the Wei family father and son are regarded as vulgar and uncultured warriors, so it is not an injustice to them.
Wei Ba did not dare to give advice to his father, but he could make suggestions. When father and son were chatting after a meal, Wei Ba made a request tactfully.
"Dad, I want some money."
"What do you need the money for?" Wei Yan held the wine glass in one hand and looked through the account book with the other. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and he seemed to be in a bad mood. Hearing Wei Ba's words, he didn't look back and just asked casually.
"I want to buy some books to read."
"Book? What book?"
""Sun Tzu's Art of War", "The Book of Filial Piety", "Spring and Autumn" and so on. If you have extra, buy some "Poetry" and the like."
"The Art of War and the Book of Filial Piety are in Nanzheng. I'll give them to you when I get back." Wei Yan snorted, closed the account book heavily, threw it to the ground, and shouted sternly: "I don't remember this nonsense.
Take the account and ask them to rewrite it clearly before sending it back."
Wei Feng hurriedly stepped forward to pick up the account book with a wry smile on his face. Wei Yan turned his head and looked at Wei Ba: "You can learn about the past and present after reading "Spring and Autumn". It's good to read it when you have time. What is the use of "The Book of Songs" and what do you buy it for?"
?”
"Reading "Poetry" can increase your knowledge and enhance your literary talent. Didn't the Master say that words without words will not go far by actions."
"Bullshit!" Wei Yan snorted: "Writing articles is just to talk about things. What's the use of just writing beautifully? Just like these account books, it is reasonable to clearly record what items are there and how much inventory there is. If you can't, just write it down.
It’s bullshit, even if you say it’s fancy, what’s the use?”
Wei Ba was silent. He knew that his father was using the topic to express his disdain for Yang Yi. The Yang family was a wealthy family in Xiangyang, so of course there was nothing to say in writing. Many of the official documents sent from the Prime Minister's Palace in Chengdu were written by Yang Yi
. Yang Yi probably deliberately wanted to humiliate the Wei family and his son, and often included some very remote allusions in it, which made his father very angry.
"Especially for our generals, being able to win battles is the foundation of our career. No matter how well we write, what's the use? You and I can still read and write official documents. How can we still lead troops if we don't even know the words?
"
Wei Ba lowered his head and did not dare to look at his father Wei Yan again. He knew that he had said the wrong thing today. When he was reading official documents two days ago, he saw the official report of Ma Zhong, the prefect of Zanggan, and asked some questions about Ma Zhong.
Under the circumstances, we realized that Ma Zhong had limited literacy and was considered semi-literate, while Wang Ping, another general who had not yet become famous, was simply illiterate. The so-called Douda could not read a basket of words. The implication was that Wei
My father and son can read and write official documents freely, which can be regarded as knowledgeable.
Of course, those who are worse than me will not work, but those who are better than me may not be useful. This is Wei Yan's mentality at the moment.
Wei Feng nudged Wei Ba with his elbow and signaled him to stop talking. "I have been tight lately and I am not in a hurry to buy books. Let's talk about it later."
Wei Ba nodded knowingly and glanced at the account book in Wei Feng's hand: "What is this?"
Wei Feng gave a bitter smile: "The account that Mianyang Ling just sent is complicated and mixed, and it is difficult to find out at the moment. It is really a headache." He glanced at his father Wei Yan, who had an angry look on his face, and whispered: "The Prime Minister is very sad.
It's coming soon, and Yang Yi will definitely come to check the accounts. If you can't figure out the accounts in time, you will inevitably be humiliated by him."
Wei Ba's eyes trembled, he took the account book, opened it and read a few pages, and suddenly felt a big headache. These account books are all running accounts. According to the time and date, write them down one by one, and finally write down the result. Is this result correct?
Only God knows. If you want to check it correctly, you must calculate the entire account from scratch, and there must be no mistakes in the process, otherwise you will have to start all over again.
Not to mention that Wei Yan was unhappy looking at these accounts, even Wei Ba was a little dizzy. When he thought of the thick stack of account books that Mianyang Ling had just delivered, Wei Ba's temples began to beat wildly. He wanted to get there before Yang Yi came.
It is almost an impossible task to check all these accounts. In other words, Yang Yi will definitely be laughed at by his old enemy this time.
No wonder dad is in a bad mood.
Wei Ba thought for a long time and suddenly said: "This account is difficult to check. We can redesign a form and let them fill it out again. Maybe it will be more convenient."
"Form?" Wei Feng was stunned for a moment and looked at Wei Ba in surprise. Wei Yan, who was drinking too much, also glanced at Wei Ba. Wei Ba smiled, picked up his chopsticks, dipped his wine in the table and drew a diagram on the table, writing down the memory
Wei Yan explained the format of the account books in the book. After hearing this, Wei Yan's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly. But Wei Feng said with some worry: "The method you mentioned is good, but it will only last for a while. Where do you come from so many forms? I
The tables you mentioned seem quite complicated. If you ask people to draw them one by one, I'm afraid no one will be willing to do it."
Wei Ba thinks it makes sense. If you want to copy these account books again, it will probably take thousands of account pages. Drawing them by hand is a task that can make people faint. Alas, if there is a copy machine, even a copy machine
A mimeograph machine is also good. You only need to engrave one plate and you can print out thousands of them.
Wait, although there is no mimeograph machine, it is not difficult to carve a plate. Wei Ba suddenly had an idea and suddenly thought of block printing. As the initial stage of printing, block printing is relatively primitive compared to the later movable type printing, but
However, it has been used for a long time. Until the 21st century, there are still many things that use woodblock printing, such as printing New Year pictures and so on, which are still color printing. When Wei Ba was traveling in the ancient city of Yangzhou, he visited the Woodblock Printing Museum.
However, due to the instinct of a technician, he once understood this time-honored technology.
"This is not a big problem. I can prepare 10,000 pages of forms in two days. I just have to rewrite them in each county..."
Wei Yan stroked his beard and thought for a moment: "As long as it is a good idea, I am not afraid that they will not follow it. What I am worried about is whether there will be any problems with your method and it will be criticized by others. When the time comes, it will be used against others."
Wei Ba smiled, even if my accounting method is not comprehensive, it will definitely be several times better than your running account. Wei Feng is more experienced. He thought about it for a while and said with a smile: "Father, this is very simple.
We can invite Mr. Li, the chief bookkeeper, and the secretaries of each Cao Cao to discuss and see if Ba Di's accounting method is suitable. They are all old accountants who are good at money and food, and they must know right from wrong."
Wei Yan nodded repeatedly, waved his hand and said: "A Feng's words make sense, you go and do it quickly. If it is feasible, then A Ba will handle the matter immediately. Whatever is needed, just say it. The Prime Minister is coming soon, and time is tight.
The sooner it is done, the better.”
Wei Yan acted resolutely and immediately summoned the accompanying officials. These people had been busy for a day and were enjoying a rare leisure. Some of the older ones had already gone to bed to rest. Suddenly they were summoned.
They were unhappy, but in front of Wei Yan, they did not dare to show any displeasure, so they could only stand in silence in the hall.
Wei Yan felt uncomfortable and sullen when he saw the faces of these people. When Wei Feng saw this, he quickly stepped forward to say hello, so as not to offend Wei Yan when he opened his mouth.
"Gentlemen, I have invited you here so late because I have something to discuss with you." Wei Feng pointed to the pile of account books and said: "This is the account book that Mianyang just sent. I believe you have already read it. You all have been here for many years.
The old director, how do you feel about this?"
The chief registrar, Cheng An, was from a wealthy family in Nanzheng. He was nearly fifty years old. He was the chief official of the Hanzhong Prefecture. Even Wei Yan, who was as unruly as Wei Yan, was wary of him. After hearing Wei Ba's words, everyone else looked at him.
Cheng An, Cheng An also naturally raised his head and glanced at Wei Feng lightly: "We have looked at it and found nothing wrong. Could it be that the Major General saw something wrong in it?"
"I didn't find anything wrong. The accounts are complicated, and even if there is something wrong, it may be difficult to find out at once. Since all the old gentlemen think there is no problem, of course I will not doubt it." Wei Feng smiled, "However, the Prime Minister joined the army.
Yang Yi is good at calculations. Just because we can't see it doesn't mean he can't see it. Mr. Cheng, don't you think so?"
Cheng An's gray eyebrows trembled and the corners of his mouth twitched, but he did not speak. He understood what Wei Feng meant. As the chief clerk of the Hanzhong Prefecture, he had represented Wei Yan to report to the Prime Minister's House many times. Yang Yi's cunning and
The shrewdness is impressive. Although Yang Yi was targeting Wei Yan, it was Cheng An who was scolded in person after all. It made him very uncomfortable to be scolded by a man less than forty years old. Unfortunately, just like
Wei Feng said that Yang Yi was good at calculations, and he could tell if there was any problem in the account books. Even the mature Cheng An had to accept this. He had read all the account books, and there was no problem.
Finding any problems does not mean that Yang Yi cannot see the problems.
Could it be that Wei Feng wanted them to check again out of caution? Cheng An's heart twitched when he thought of this.