Just as Wang Yan had told Han Qi, governing Kaifeng Prefecture meant no more than four things: training troops, surveying land, investigating the population, and collecting commercial taxes. Once those four were done, Kaifeng Prefecture would practically be turned upside down.
Others could not do it because they lacked the ability to distinguish the loyal from the treacherous, and because they were too timid to offend Kaifeng Prefecture's powerful clans and nobles.
Wang Yan was different. Nothing he did stepped outside the law, so no one could bring him down through the rules. He could fight and flee if needed, and no one could kill him. Once he took office, it would not take long before everyone above and below stood united behind him, leaving others utterly unable to touch him. Just as when he had returned from the northwest—if he had not wanted to return, no one could have made him.
That was the foundation upon which Wang stood.
Naturally, none of the work could proceed smoothly. There would always be those greedy for money, and there would always be those who did not fear death. Such people had to be dealt with harshly, brought to justice through criminal judgments and lawsuits. Broadly speaking, troop training and the like were the goal, while enforcing the law was the means.
The troops were trained to suppress the local area. Although Jingcheng had the Imperial Guards, Kaifeng Prefecture still maintained an establishment of eight thousand regional troops. Over the previous years, following Wang Yan's methods for reforming the regional forces, they had already reduced their numbers and separated soldiers from laborers.
But clearly, what Wang Yan intended was not merely separation and reduction. The men he dismissed were given land; the craftsmen separated out received better treatment, and there was plenty