24 Hours in Ancient China by Yijie Zhuang

Author:Yijie Zhuang
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Michael O'Mara

未 EIGHTH HOUR OF THE DAY

(13.00–14.00: THE FIRST PART OF WEI)

The Granary Keeper is Inspected

The Jingshi granary is not a single building – it is more of a mini-city of granaries. The complex takes up hundreds of thousands of square metres with many large warehouses, each surrounded by smaller warehouses. Each of the large warehouses can store up to 10,000 cu. m of grain. When fully stocked, the granary city has the capacity to store over a million dan of grain. (A dan is 30–32 kg.)

Hong is responsible for warehouses Nos 1 and 2, which are located right in the heart of the granary city. In fact, at 1,660 sq. m, Warehouse No. 1 is the largest warehouse in the whole complex. His is an important job, because the grain in the warehouses feeds the army and other workers of the emperor. When Hong started work at the granary, they told him, ‘These warehouses are the actual heart of our country. Without them the entire kingdom would crumble away in no time.’ Now, after years of experience have taught him what the granaries mean to the empire, Hong has come to believe this completely.

The importance of the granaries is one reason why Hong is currently being even more careful than usual with the deposit of grain supplies. According to reports, the main Han army has been marching towards the granary for months, and Hong wants to be prepared for whatever might happen. Hong’s fellow villager Bai works in the army, but he could tell Hong only a little about the army’s plans.

‘What do I know? We’re just nobodies who do as we are told. It looks like the soldiers will be here for a long time, though. Tents have been erected, stoves built, and we are told that soon winter clothing and boots will be handed out too.’ Hong is not happy about this, both because the army will literally eat through his grain reserves, and because he was hoping that Bai could carry some messages to his wife back home in the village, but it seems as though that is not going to happen soon.

Hong’s family does not live far from the granary, but they are still too far for him to visit as often as he would like, especially now that he has extra responsibilities. He came to the granaries a few years ago, as a relatively humble Cangzuo (assistant keeper of the warehouse), and while in that relatively junior position he was able to go home every couple of months and help his wife with the farm. But thereafter, the bureaucratic hierarchy underwent some dramatic changes.

First, the Cangjian (inspector of the granary) was arrested for corruption. Since the warehouses cannot run properly without someone in that position, the government quickly replaced him. Having removed one corrupt official, the government was careful not to substitute another and the granary staff quickly discovered that their new boss is honest, conscientious and ruthlessly efficient. When he first arrived, the replacement

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