Chapter 200 Tax Collector
As the notice of fixed tax was posted, the peaceful days in Lan County were finally broken.
According to the sharing method proposed by Xu Zhenying, each refugee would have to pay one or two taels of silver.
Don't underestimate this one or two taels of silver. For many refugees fleeing alone, it is like the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
The idyllic atmosphere in the city suddenly turned cold, and a sense of tension was faintly revealed.
The first to cause trouble were the Demonstration New Village, and now they are refugees in Gaoxin County.
Gaoxin County is very special. There are no indigenous people there, and almost all of them are refugees who came here later.
They had finally reclaimed the land, fertilized the soil, and planted sweet potatoes, but the news of the fixed tax came like a bolt from the blue, almost instantly destroying their already shaky family.
In the county government office, Xu Zhenying was listening to Qian Zhenniang's report on the situation.
"The people in Gaoxin County reacted the most. Dozens of them stole sweet potatoes and ran away. One or two hundred people packed up and left Lan County. Yesterday, several hundred people surrounded the temporary government office in Gaoxin County, demanding an explanation from Wang Sanniang."
"Were there any casualties?"
"Not really. Although the people are quite emotional, most of them are here to inquire about the situation."
"Add more personnel to Gaoxin County. If anyone causes trouble, apprehend them first. No need for drastic measures. Let Wang Sanniang take the brunt of the criticism for a few days to appease the common people. By the way, what are the attitudes of those wealthy families?"
"They're just cowards. According to our quota plan, each family only received a few thousand taels of silver, which is relatively small compared to previous years. They got such a good deal, how could they dare to complain? Naturally, they can only be grateful."
"That's not right. We can't just fleece a sheep. The wealthy have money, but it's their own money. We can't just take the blame for every little problem. If this continues, who will be willing to do business? Who will want to develop commerce? How will it drive social and economic development?"
"The city lord is right. I shouldn't look at things with an old perspective." Xiao Qian, who was criticized by Xu Zhenying, admitted his mistake sincerely. As an old member of the Xu family's political team, he naturally knew how important business is to a country's development.
Only a society where commerce, industry and agriculture develop together can be a perfect closed-loop society, can create more social value, and can increase the wealth of both the people and the country at the same time.
"As a punishment, you have to copy the economics knowledge from the intermediate class twice."
Qian Zhenniang nodded and continued to report the information sent by her subordinates.
"Besides Gaoxin County, the people of Lan County are also furious. They've been gathered outside the county government office, shouting and cursing for days." Qian Zhenniang felt a little angry when she thought of this. "When we were in such a difficult time before, we distributed food to the people. Now that the fixed tax system hasn't been fully implemented, they're so quick to turn their backs on us, completely forgetting the kindness of the city lord back then! It's only because the city lord is kind. If it were any other county, the people wouldn't even dare to approach the county government office, let alone blockade it."
"That's just a minority." Xu Zhenying didn't seem to care. "Besides, we've been operating here for so long to eliminate the servility of the people, to allow them to fully participate in government affairs, and to let them speak out and advocate for their rights. Of course, there will definitely be good and bad people among them, and some may even fan the flames. It depends on how we strike the right balance."
Qian Zhenniang's heart skipped a beat, remembering the secret meeting she had with Fang Xun a few days ago. Her tone became nervous, "Is the City Lord saying that there's a rumor going around in the city that we stole our grain from the government?"
"This matter..." Xu Zhenying's expression was unclear. "Except for Hu Wei, no one else would have thought of it."
But this was exactly what she wanted.
If this fire doesn't burn more vigorously, how can she get the Xu family, the Fang family, and all the people in Lan County and Ye County to rebel with her?
When it comes to rebellion, of course the more people there are, the better!
Qian Zhenniang was a little confused about Xu Zhenying's attitude. The city lord did not seem to blame Hu Wei. When she thought about the city lord's indifference to the public grievances, she suddenly seemed to understand something.
The city lord... is indeed preparing to cause trouble this time!
Unlike the seemingly calm county government office, the bulletin board was crowded with onlookers.
The most explosive news in recent days is the issue of full taxation.
Even though the final notice has not been posted yet, it concerns everyone in Lan County, so people's attention to this matter has reached an unprecedented level. Every day, countless people wait in front of the bulletin board early in the morning just to get this first-hand information.
At this moment, everyone was getting a little impatient!
"Hey, how is this fixed tax distributed? Why hasn't it been announced yet?"
"Yes, let's know how to collect it!"
"Haven't you heard the rumors yet? They say the total is 200,000, and each person will only get at least one or two taels. The rest will all be provided by the rich!"
"One tael?! How can we collect this one tael? Does the undivided family count as heads? Does the unmarried daughter count as heads? How about the unmarried daughter? If we divide it according to the method used when the land was divided, then as long as there is a breath, it will be one tael. By this calculation, a family must have at least three taels of silver!"
No one had thought about this before, and when they heard this, they were all furious. "How can they collect taxes like this? In the past, the head tax was only collected from adult males in the family, but now everyone, young and old, is being taxed. Oh my God, what are we going to do?!"
The man said, "When the city lord distributed the land, he gave equal treatment to everyone, young or old, regardless of gender. You didn't object then, but now you only want to pay the tax from adult males. How can you get such a good deal in this world?"
"But... where can we afford so much money! Even if you sell me to someone as a slave, you still can't get so much silver!" Someone asked in panic, attracting echoes from those around, and some even shed tears with faces as if they had lost their parents.
"Money? It's better to let you pay!" Some local residents of Lan County gnashed their teeth in hatred when they thought of those eunuchs. "Maybe we'll have to send our daughters over. Two years ago, they came to Lan County and abducted over twenty young women, the youngest of whom was only twelve years old! His parents reported him to the county government, but Magistrate Sun couldn't punish them. He could only watch his daughter being sent away!"
The newly arrived refugees were all stunned, and some even subconsciously covered their daughters' ears!
The little girl was biting a candied haws, looking at the onlookers with confused eyes.
Someone trembled and asked, "How dare they?"
"Why wouldn't you dare?! The Emperor of the Great Zhou has lost his mind. He even came up with this idea of fixed taxation. What's so strange about anything that could happen?"
"This tax issue wasn't decided by the city lord, it was decided by the Great Zhou court! Those corrupt officials are just trying to collect two hundred thousand taels of silver from us, not to mention that our Jinzhou Prefecture was severely affected by a disaster last year! Just wait and see, the eunuchs from the Transportation Bureau have already arrived in Jinzhou Prefecture and will soon come to our Lan County. By then, these corrupt officials won't care about our difficulties or our lives. If we can't pay, they will treat us all as bandits. After all, we ordinary people are nothing more than livestock in their eyes!"
"Oh my God, this doesn't leave a way for us ordinary people to survive—"
Before the people could even cry out, someone came up with another blow, "You know the grain we distributed in the spring? Lan County was starving at the time, and tens of thousands of mouths were waiting to be fed. Do you think that grain fell from the sky?"
"Didn't they say... that it was conjured up by the city lord?"
"Bullshit, do you really think the city lord is a god?! Why don't you change one? If the city lord is really a god, why would he be forced into this state by the 200,000 taels of tax? Can't she just conjure up the silver?"
"That's true..."
"Then where do you think the food comes from?"
The man had a mysterious look on his face, and he didn't want to say anything, which attracted everyone around him to look at him.
Then the man lowered his voice and said, "That food is the food that the imperial court is transporting to the front lines in Qianzhou! We are eating only government rations! We have already committed a capital crime!"
This statement immediately caused an uproar!
Some people simply didn't believe it, "How is that possible?!"
But someone immediately objected, "How is that impossible? There's a waterway from Jinzhou Prefecture that goes directly to Qianzhou. The soldiers in Qianzhou are fighting the natives, so it's impossible that they're not escorting food and fodder!"
"Oh my God! This... this is using up military rations. Isn't this a capital crime?"
"Damn it, if we advance we'll die, if we retreat we'll die too, I think we might as well just rebel!"
Someone immediately came over to cover his mouth, "Be careful with your words! Be careful with your words! Rebellion will result in death!"
The man pulled the other away and said with a fierce look on his face, "We're going to die anyway, so we might as well kill him. If that bastard from the Transportation Bureau dares to come, I'll poke a few holes in him! If the court sends troops to attack Lan County, I'll be the first to charge!"
"Right! Anyway, there are wars everywhere now, and those who don't have a title dare to claim to be king or emperor. We in Lan County have people and food. I think it's better to rebel and have a chance to survive!"
"Brother, if you want to rebel, take me with you! If the requirements for joining the army in Lan County weren't so harsh, I would have served the city lord long ago! If there really is a war this time, they will definitely have to recruit more soldiers, so I will take the exam again!"
"That's right! Being a soldier for the city lord is so good. Not only do you earn a lot of money, but if you get injured, there are doctors from the medical school who can treat you for free. If you die, you don't have to worry about no one taking care of your wife and children. It's worth it even if it means sacrificing your life!"
"Yes, this brother said it very well! I think why don't we go and ask the city lord to stop worrying about the imperial court's tax revenue? If the imperial court really dares to attack, the 100,000 people in Lan County will unite and fight it out in an upright manner! Doesn't the city lord encourage us to participate in political affairs? For such a big thing, we might as well write to the city lord to express our opinions! If you can't write, just write in pinyin. You know pinyin, right?! In short, for the sake of our homeland, for our Lan County, so that we will never be bullied again, and so that we can live uprightly, we must also give the city lord advice!"
"Yeah, damn it, if you're going, I'll go too!"
"Let's go, let's go! Those who don't want to be pigs or dogs all their lives, follow me!"
As soon as there was a shout from the crowd, some people immediately followed like fish flocking to water, but some people were still hesitant, waiting for the notice with eager eyes, as if they could not make the final decision.
The dark-faced man who had been hiding in the crowd and talking at the beginning now shook off the crowd, crossed the street, and walked to an inconspicuous stall. He quickly and calmly exchanged information, "Master Hu, I have done everything you asked me to do, and I have said everything I should say."
Only the man's back was revealed, but he was tall and thin. He sat alone on the small stall, as if isolated from the hustle and bustle of Lan County, looking a bit cold and lonely.
"Lin Er, you've done very well." He pulled out a few pieces of silver from his pocket. "Gather your brothers and tell them that the Transport Bureau is on the way and that they want fifty young women from Lan County."
The man was stunned at first, but then he didn't ask any more questions. He took the silver and disappeared into the street.
There was unrest in Lan County. The eunuch from the Transportation Department was sitting in a wooden carriage, slowly driving on the official road in the mountains.
As spring turned to summer, although there was wind in the mountains, it was still stuffy under the sun during the day. Several maids knelt beside him, carefully fanning Eunuch Zhou.
Eunuch Zhou is very young. If he had not had the support of Li Ping, the emperor would have been in great trouble due to the rebellion of King Ming in the past few months, and he had used money to pave the way. He would not have been given the position of the Transportation Bureau.
The clatter of hooves echoed as the military supervisor who had been out exploring the area returned on horseback, reporting the situation: "Eunuch Zhou, Lan County is just ahead. Sun Qingchen was previously the county magistrate. It's said this place was occupied by rebels last year, and the Jinzhou government hasn't been able to suppress them. Now that we're passing through here, why not do the Jinzhou governor a favor and suppress them while we're there? This will bring peace to the local people and be a meritorious deed! You can also write this up in a memorial and present it to His Majesty!"
Eunuch Zhou was not interested in suppressing bandits, he was only interested in how much money he could make on this trip.
After all, this lucrative job at the Transportation Bureau had cost him a huge sum of tens of thousands of taels of silver, so he had to make a profit from this trip.
So he sat up with the help of his maids and said in a shrill voice, "Our guards are less than a thousand people, so it's better to be careful."
Military Officer Wang, however, was not afraid. "Eunuch Zhou, I've seen a few hundred people claiming to be kings and emperors. They're nothing more than a mob! When the time comes, we'll just go and read the imperial edict. If they obey and pay their taxes, we can certainly let them go. If they don't, Eunuch Zhou can still take advantage of them. It's said that Lan County is incredibly wealthy, and the city is teeming with wealthy families. I'm sure they'll expect us to enforce justice!"
The two looked at each other and then smiled slightly.
It’s good to live in a place with many wealthy people.
Zhou Dajian was not very lucky and was only assigned to the southwest area. The people in this area were poor and there was not much money to be made from them. Now that he had come to Lan County, he had to stay for a few more days to enjoy the scenery, right?
As for the rebels?
What is there to be afraid of traitors?
Now the Great Zhou Dynasty is full of rebels, and sometimes the rebels are more knowledgeable and witty than the county magistrate!
The two of them couldn't help but look forward to the trip to Lan County.
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