The collection team arrived at Sunjiatun.
Sunjiatun also had stored grain. After hearing about what happened in Datian Village, the villagers quickly moved the grain down from the mountain before the requisition team arrived.
"Captain, what percentage should we levy on Sunjiatun?" the person beside him asked.
Normally, the rule is to accept 70% of the profits, but Sunjiatun is the closest to Datian Village. Having just suffered so much humiliation, Song Laosan has other plans.
“Collect 90% of the grain and silver, then tell them that it’s just bad luck for them, and that Datian Village only needs to pay 70%.”
A cold smile appeared on Song Laosan's lips.
The people of Sunjiatun are very rough and unruly. It used to be called Mangcun (meaning "rough village"), but the government felt it was too bandit-like and, since there were many families with the surname Sun, changed it to Sunjiatun.
He returned home in military uniform, where he should have been respected, but the villagers of Datian Village insisted on opposing him, so he had no choice but to accept it.
In every household where the elderly are still alive and the family hasn't separated, there are at least seven or eight people, and in some cases as many as thirty. They only have 10% of the grain left, and they don't have much money to buy more. It's simply impossible for them to survive.
Chu Zhuo was away, so he had plenty of time to do this.
"Hurry up! If there's any resistance, take them down immediately. Otherwise, when that guy surnamed Chu comes, you won't get as many benefits as you'd like."
At Song Laosan's command, his men sprang into action, drawing their swords with a chilling glint in their eyes. The villagers were too frightened to utter a word and could only watch helplessly as their grain was carried away bag by bag, and even their large savings were taken away.
Loud cries echoed through Sunjiatun, and many villagers fainted.
The men stood frozen, fists clenched, eyes bloodshot and bulging with fury.
Faced with this situation, they were both angry and helpless, and naturally they wouldn't be foolish enough to walk into a dangerous situation.
If all villages were treated the same, that would be fine. But why is it that Datian Village, which is nearby, only has 70% of the grain collected, leaving them with 30% of the grain and some extra money, enough to get through the year?
And they would then have to endure hunger, and the cold and hardship of winter.
Are the people of Datian Village really better off than them? Bullshit! They're all peasants, who's any more noble than whom?
Song Laosan's gaze swept across the faces of the indignant villagers.
He knew that once his troops left, Sunjiatun would go to Datian Village to cause trouble, robbing money and grain.
The people in this village are very reckless; many of them have been bandits in the mountains, and the local customs are fierce.
"Chief Supervisor Qu, hasn't Lieutenant Song gone too far?" one of his subordinates whispered to Chief Supervisor Qu.
I thought that by collecting 70%, they were already cutting off the people's lifeline.
Unexpectedly, Song Laosan was even more ruthless, leaving no way out. Even those of them who had come all the way here were terrified.
"No need to make a fuss, just do as Captain Song says." Supervisor Qu's face remained cold, but a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Captain Song is stationed at the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry garrison nearby, and he's from Datian Village. He still wants to be the one to stick his neck out. The people can't blame us."
"When he falls from grace, these villagers will surely skin him alive and drink his blood. What does that have to do with us?"
The men immediately understood: let Song Laosan play the bad guy, and they would take the benefits.
The collection here was swift and decisive, ending quickly, with large horse-drawn carts and wheelbarrows carrying grain away.
Only then did the cries of the people dare to run wild, echoing above the village, heart-wrenching and filled with agony.
"Sigh, originally the people of Datian Village were also supposed to pay 90%, but it was later changed to 70%, so they weren't as unlucky as you guys." Song Laosan's subordinate continued to fan the flames.
"They'll make it through the year, but if you starve or freeze to death, you can only blame your bad luck."
These people laughed loudly as they left the village and departed.
The men of Sunjiatun clenched their fists so tightly they cracked, their chests heaving as they breathed heavily.
They were indignant. Why?
"Let's go find the village chief and have a good talk about how we should live from now on."
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