Chapter 71 Do not subscribe to this draft, it needs further revision...

Xiao Jianseng and Sha Gang did not dismount.

A squad of armored soldiers completely surrounded the old man's courtyard.

After calming You Mingjiang and the other man down, the old man carefully closed the door and went out of the house.

All eyes turned to the old, thin man.

Seeing that the two leaders were both dressed in lamellar armor, indeed the attire of government troops, the old and thin man put on a submissive appearance, cupped his hands, and said with a fawning smile, "Generals, please come in and rest your feet and have some tea."

After wrapping the whip around his neck a few times, Sha Gang raised it, pointing the tip at the old man, and squinted as he roared, "Enough nonsense! You old rascal, you've been dawdling for ages before coming out. Do you think you're hiding some rioters or wanted criminals in the house?!"

His shout, delivered with a deep, resonant voice, made the old man's ears ring.

The two people inside the room heard it clearly, and their expressions changed drastically.

With her left hand on the door frame and her right thumb resting on the hilt of her sword, Lu Xiaojia held the sword, ready to strike.

Suddenly, You Mingjiang pressed down on his arm and shook her head.

She pointed to the cat's house, signaling to him with her eyes that he shouldn't act impulsively.

The reason Old Skinny rushed out was because he was afraid of getting the cat involved.

Lu Xiaojia froze, stared at her for a moment, pursed her lips, and moved the unsheathed sword aside.

The old man rubbed his hands together, speaking casually yet respectfully and without arrogance: "The people in this house are my cat's playmates. In three days, the General's Mansion will be coming to fetch the bride, and the young ladies still have some embroidery work to finish... Would you like to open the door for the two generals to take a look?"

Xiao Jianseng reined in his horse and said coldly, "No need. We are here on the orders of General Jingbu to collect this spring's land tax and poll tax."

"Old man, stop your rambling," Shadow General Sha Gang said impatiently, cracking his whip in mid-air. "I'm asking you, where is the land tax paid by the townspeople?!"

Sha Gang scoffed.

He made no attempt to be discreet in his speech.

The general had countless women. Not to mention the beautiful concubines he would snatch back whenever he took a fancy to them in his backyard, there were countless other women he had taken and then forgotten.

This old rascal, does he really think he's the father-in-law of the mighty General?

Sha Gang looked down at the old man and shrewdly, a cold smile creeping onto his lips: "General Jingba's order to collect spring land taxes has been issued for more than half a month, so why is there still no movement from Laoqu Town?"

Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. The old, thin man, his face showing distress, bowed deeply: "This... last year's autumn harvest was poor, and coupled with the harsh winter, many families didn't even have enough food to get through the winter. This year, the spring chill has returned, and the rice planting was delayed. Old Qu is truly impoverished, and the townspeople are also in dire straits. We implore the general to plead for the people and reduce the burden..."

"Insolence!" Sha Gang lashed out with his whip, the crack echoing through the air, interrupting the old man's request. "The General's order has been given; how dare you, an old rogue, dismiss it as you please?"

Sha Gang was no fool like Meng Nu'an, who sought fame and fortune by trying to win popular support and gain a clean reputation, constantly obstructing the Grand General and thoroughly offending him. Ling Luoshi couldn't even tolerate the title "Peerless King" that overstepped his authority as "Grand General," so how could he tolerate a subordinate who dared to cross his line?

Sha Gang glanced coldly at Xiao Jianseng and sneered inwardly:

This hothead isn't far off!

.

The old man took a deep breath: "The heavy burden of land taxes year after year has already driven the people to the brink of resentment. If this continues, I'm afraid..."

In this world, crops grow on the blood of the people, yet the people's stomachs remain empty.

Like grasshoppers in dry land, no matter how much they hop around, they can't escape the palm of the terrifying general.

But the residents of Laoqu Town no longer want to cause trouble; they just want to live like human beings.

"Afraid of what?" Sha Gang narrowed his eyes, making a gesture as if to whip him. "Are you afraid that these unruly people from your Old Qu Town are going to rebel?!"

"This humble subject dares not!" Seeing that pleading with Sha Gang was useless, the old, thin man, his back hunched, turned to Xiao Jianseng and begged, "Young general, the townspeople are truly in dire straits. We implore you to have compassion on their plight and grant us some more time..."

Ignoring the old man's desperate pleas, Sha Gang raised his hand and ordered the soldiers behind him, "Go, search every house! Collect grain from those with grain, silver from those without, and if that's still not enough, take people to pay taxes! Anyone who dares to resist paying taxes, kill them!"

The soldiers responded in unison and were about to move when suddenly someone called out to stop them: "Wait!"

Xiao Jianseng knew that Elder Shou of the town was not lying.

①The rich own vast tracts of land, while the poor have nowhere to stand.

Ling Luoshi's insatiable greed has driven the people to ruin, forcing them to become destitute and displaced people. In the struggle for basic sustenance, they will eventually become so-called rioters and rebels.

In the past, the fearful general also sent troops to raise funds to suppress bandits, but where did those bandits come from?

If it weren't for the landlords and powerful families forcing people to the brink of despair, how could these people have driven themselves to such a dead end?

All the so-called thunder and rain are the emperor's grace...

Haven't you heard the story of Hou Yi shooting down the sun?

The common people are like the crops in the field; if the sun beats down on them, the crops will die.

Realizing they can't survive, crops won't want the sun to hang high in the sky. Besides, in this world, there are far too many suns like General Terror.

Sooner or later, a Hou Yi will appear and shoot down all these cruel and venomous suns.

Ordinary people don't need this kind of sun.

Xiao Jianseng couldn't bear to see the crops die.

.

Sha Gang raised an eyebrow and said, "What, Brother Xiao, are you going to help these scoundrels rebel?"

"It seems the Shadow General is preoccupied with rebellion day and night, which is why he makes such offhand remarks," Xiao Jianseng said coldly.

"You! Stop spouting nonsense!" Sha Gang glared at him for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Good! Very good, Xiao Jianseng, you're quite the champion of the people. If you return empty-handed today, how will you explain to General Jingbu?"

Sha Gang felt that Xiao Jianseng was incredibly foolish.

They were subordinates of the Fearful General, naturally there to share his burdens, not to act as "parental officials" for these common people. Besides, since they were "parental officials," receiving some "filial piety" from their subjects was perfectly justified!

Xiao Jianseng frowned and said, "We need to give the townspeople time to procure food."

Sha Gang sneered and dismounted.

The boots stomped heavily on the muddy ground.

He walked slowly up to the old man, almost face to face, and whispered, "You old codger, do you think I don't know what you're up to? Taking advantage of the fact that the General wants to take your daughter as a concubine, you're being shameless and arrogant... What are you? Does the General even acknowledge you as his father-in-law? You're just a plaything, don't take yourself too seriously."

These words made the old man turn pale.

"General..." The old man wanted to say something, but was rudely interrupted by Sha Gang.

Sha Gang looked at Xiao Jianseng provocatively.

"Since I am only assisting Brother Xiao in collecting taxes, it is naturally up to Brother Xiao, the official in charge, to make the decisions. If any problems arise, please bear the responsibility yourself; it has nothing to do with me."

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Xiao Jianseng ignored him and looked directly at the old man, asking him for his opinion with his eyes.

Old Skinny's heart sank to the bottom.

When the last land tax was collected, these wolves had already plundered the last bit of possessions of the people of Laoqu Town: rice seeds to be planted, their only old ox, and three acres of meager land...

There's no way we can collect the land tax this time.

There aren't even any seedlings, so where will the grain come from to pay the land tax?

Nobody has an extra grain of rice in their rice bin!

Cold sweat beaded on the old man's forehead, and his knees were already starting to buckle under the watchful eyes of Sha Gang.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a clear, melodious voice rang out: "A three-day grace period will suffice. If you fail to pay your land tax by then, just let this courtyard be overflowing with heads."

"Three days?" The old man was startled, his mind went blank, and he turned around in horror, staring incredulously at You Mingjiang, who had given his assurance.

“Not bad.” You Mingjiang said confidently, “Three days!”

Even a Great Immortal like Da Luo Zhenxian couldn't submit his tribute.

Three days...

They even killed people in droves...

The old man felt dizzy and almost fainted.

.

If You Mingjiang knew what Old Skinny was thinking, she would definitely laugh.

She said there would be a lot of killings, but she didn't say there would be no end to it.

She never said who she was going to kill off.

Furthermore, to achieve a scene of countless deaths, the side with more people will naturally be able to kill more people.

.

When Xiao Jianseng saw that familiar face, he was startled at first, but he glanced at Sha Gang beside him without showing any emotion.

You Mingjiang kept her eyes straight ahead, but her fingers formed a delicate orchid shape as she brushed across her upper right abdomen.

Xiao Jianseng understood and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Sha Gang sized up the woman dressed as a village girl. Seeing her striking appearance, he assumed she was the Cat Girl. His tone was somewhat flippant as he said, "Fine, then for your sake, I'll give you three days. Each household in Laoqu Town must collect three bushels of land tax within three days! If even one grain is missing from the land tax of Laoqu Town after three days... Humph!" With that, he gave You Mingjiang a meaningful look, then mounted his horse.

You Mingjiang was disgusted by the term "aunt".

She decided she absolutely had to cut off his head and use it as a football.

But she still smiled calmly.

At that moment, faint rumbles of thunder could be heard on the horizon.

It looks like things are about to change.

Xiao Jianseng said insincerely, "We will come back in three days. We will be able to join you for a drink at the wedding. I hope it will be a double celebration. I've made you happy, so don't disappoint me and leave me unable to explain to the General."

Upon hearing this, Sha Gang sneered and led his large troop of armored soldiers away.

Xiao Jianseng had no choice but to follow.

The courtyard, which had been completely surrounded, returned to an unspeakable silence, leaving only the old, thin man with a look of despair and bewilderment, slumped in the empty courtyard, silently weeping.

At this moment, the cat timidly came out of its room and whispered, "Dad..."

The old man looked at his daughter, Maomao, his heart aching. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face as he said, "I can't go on living. Pack your bags and go if you can..."

Lu Xiaojia came out of the house and happened to hear this.

He said coldly, "What are you crying for?! This old man's behavior is truly beneath his dignity."

Old Man Shou, recalling You Mingjiang's guarantee, nearly vomited blood. He said in despair, "How could I want this? Don't even mention three days, even thirty days, three hundred days, I still can't deliver this grain! Do you think you, Divine Messenger, can conjure this grain out of thin air?!"

"Good heavens, how are people supposed to live like this?!"

.

.

You Mingjiang laughed when she heard this.

"So, even you, sir, understand this principle: even if you sell everything you own, you still can't pay this land tax. In that case, why don't you hurry up and gather the blacksmiths in town and have each of them forge a few more broadswords?"

The old man was struck dumb: "What?! What do you mean by that?"

You Mingjiang said, "It means exactly what it says."

The old man gasped, "You...you're trying to rebel?"

“If this continues, they will either starve to death or be forced to their deaths. If you don’t kill them, you will die yourself,” You Mingjiang said calmly. “Either way, you’re going to die, so you might as well go all out.”

.

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Author's Note: [Good Luck Lianlian] Quotation ①: From the "Treatise on Food and Commodities" in the Book of Han

[Laughing and crying with face covered] I adjusted the timeline; the wedding ceremony was changed from half a month later to three days later.