Chapter 42
After the snow had just stopped, thin bamboo curtains were hung under the eaves of the Jizhou Mansion to block the wind. Through the gaps, a few branches of winter plum blossoms in bloom could be vaguely seen in the courtyard.
There were faint sounds of conversation coming from the living room. On the steps below the corridor, guards lined up in a V-shaped formation, wearing armor and with stern faces.
At this moment, the sound of weapons was heard outside the gate.
"Who dares to break into the government office of Jizhou?"
When the guards in the inner court heard the fighting outside the door, some stayed behind to guard the meeting hall, while others rushed outside with swords and spears to provide support.
However, the newcomers were also a team of iron-armored guards armed with spears and halberds. A soldier from the Jizhou Prefecture was kicked directly by the leading general in scale-patterned armor and flew backwards.
He raised his eyes full of anger and said, "He Jingyuan, get out of here!"
A group of officials from Jizhou who came out of the meeting hall after hearing the noise looked at him with surprised expressions.
Only Zheng Wenchang shouted, "How dare you call me by my name!"
Wei Xuan sneered, not taking him seriously at all. As he approached the meeting hall with his sword in hand, Zheng Wenchang also drew his sword three inches out of its sheath.
Just as the two men were about to engage in combat, a deep and steady voice came from the living room: "Wen Chang, step back."
Zheng Wenchang turned his head and glanced back. Although he had put the sword in his hand back into its sheath, he still had an angry look on his face when he faced Wei Xuan.
Wei Xuan raised the corner of his mouth and slashed at him with his sword. Zheng Wenchang dodged quickly. The civil servants around him saw this scene and screamed and dodged in all directions. It was really a mess.
"My Lord, did you come here just to embarrass the officials under my rule?" He Jingyuan, who was sitting firmly in the first seat, spoke at the right time, looking at the people in the hall, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
It is true that Wei Yan was in sole control of government affairs, but during the more than ten years that he was in power, the entire post-war Dayin Dynasty was able to recuperate under his rule. Although he was suspicious by nature, he was also very good at using people.
How could the son of Wei Yan be such a man of courage but no strategy, and who only loves to show off?
Wei Xuan saw the look in his eyes and became even more furious. Like a hyena baring its fangs, he pointed his sword at Zheng Wenchang and said, "How dare a lackey under your command bark at me? Or do you mean that you, He Jingyuan, don't take the Wei family seriously at all?"
He Jingyuan said: "The Prime Minister has been very kind to me. I am here to guard Jizhou under the Prime Minister's order. Why don't I take the Wei family into consideration?"
He raised his eyes and said slowly: "Or... Young Master, are you just thinking that He doesn't take you seriously?"
Wei Xuan was so angry at his words that he said angrily, "You are so brave! Someone, take him to jail!"
The armored guards behind him wanted to step forward, but Zheng Wenchang and other generals drew their swords and stood in front of them. For a moment, the two sides were on the verge of a confrontation.
He Jingyuan's voice was still calm: "I am a third-rank official in the court. Even if you want to put me in prison, you have to bring the imperial edict with you."
Wei Xuan sneered, "A war is imminent, and you are obstructing military operations. This crime alone is enough for me to kill you first and report later!"
He Jingyuan asked: "What military mission did He block?"
Wei Xuan was so angry that he raised his hand and pointed out: "Huizhou soldiers are fighting on the front line, and they are in urgent need of food and grass. They are collecting food from Taizhou and Jizhou. Not only did you disobey the military order, you also kidnapped the soldiers I sent to collect food. He Jingyuan, are you really hoping that Huizhou will be taken by the rebels?"
He Jingyuan only said: "The people should not bear the consequences of the defeat fought by the eldest son. If Huizhou only defends itself now, it can hold out until the imperial court delivers grain. The eldest son is eager to collect grain, which is nothing more than wanting to start a war with Chongzhou as soon as possible. Does the eldest son not care about the lives of the people of the two prefectures?"
Wei Xuan said in a stern voice: "How could it be that no grain could be collected? It's just that those poor people are unwilling to hand over the grain. Didn't Taizhou say before that no grain could be collected, but didn't they still collect 100,000 dan in the end?"
When talking about Taizhou, He Jingyuan's face showed a sad expression, and he scolded: "Killing people and stealing the next year's grain for military rations, is this what the eldest master is talking about?"
Wei Xuan said coldly: "As long as the rebels are eliminated, the entire northwest can rest and recuperate. Why not exchange temporary suffering for long-term benefits?"
He Jingyuan asked him, "My Lord, do you know how many lives were lost in Tai and Ji Prefectures for the temporary suffering you mentioned? If the news gets back to the capital, how many scholars will criticize the Prime Minister?"
Wei Xuan's face was grim: "Once the rebels are destroyed, what will all these mean? Now the rebels know that Huizhou's food supply has been cut off, and it is impossible to open up business with Chongzhou in a short time. They have relaxed their vigilance. I just need to send troops as soon as possible and attack them by surprise! With military merit, all the noise will be suppressed!"
He Jingyuan sighed and said, "My Lord, please listen to my advice. This world belongs to the people of Dayin. It is not the time to run out of resources yet. Please do not force the people to this point. This will chill the hearts of the people of the world."
Wei Xuan just snorted coldly: "Womanly kindness!"
He said fiercely: "If you continue to obstruct me, I will use my power as the governor to seize your official seal!"
He Jingyuan looked at him for a while, raised his hand and took off his official hat: "Then, young master, please take back my official seal."
A group of officials, led by Zheng Wenchang, shouted: "Your Excellency, you can't do this!"
Wei Xuan was always stubborn and could not stand provocation. He sneered and said, "The officials in the court all said that Xie Zheng was the pillar of the northwest. Without him, wouldn't the northwest be fine now? He Jingyuan, do you really think that this general dare not take your seal? You think too highly of yourself!"
He stepped forward and took the seal of the governor of Jizhou from the desk, held it high in his hand, and looked at He Jingyuan provocatively as he ordered the officials of Jizhou Prefecture: "Go and collect grain for this general immediately. If you don't get 100,000 shi of grain by noon tomorrow, you will be beheaded!"
The officials below looked at each other, all with troubled expressions.
He Jingyuan, who was sitting in the first seat, closed his eyes solemnly.
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When the news of the second grain collection reached Lin'an Town, the people in the town all complained bitterly, and Fan Changyu didn't know the reason.
When she went to the county to deliver meat to the fat shopkeeper and Yixianglou, she heard that there had been a change of government in the Fuzhou Prefecture. The honest official surnamed He was directly dismissed from his post and put under guard. The people in the main city of Fuzhou went to the gate of the Fuzhou government office in groups to make trouble, and more than a hundred people were arrested and thrown into prison.
Under the severe suppression of the officers and soldiers, the people now dared not make trouble, but the amount of grain the government collected from every household was truly staggering.
Even after the farmers took out all their seeds, they still did not have enough to pay their family's allotment of military rations.
The solution provided by the officers and soldiers was simple: if there was not enough food, just give money.
What to do if you have no money? Whether it is borrowing or robbing is none of the government's business, they just need to keep putting pressure on.
Many farmers were left with nowhere else to go and simply turned into bandits.
The officers and soldiers are also bullies who are weak and afraid of the strong. They can show off their power to ordinary people who are unarmed, but they will avoid provoking bandits if possible.
Unable to obtain sufficient food or money from the farmers, the officers and soldiers began to extort money from merchants in the town from house to house.
Each household paid per person, with each person paying one or two taels of silver. Fan Changyu's family had to pay three or two taels of silver.
Everyone in the town was outraged. In the past, conscription only cost two taels of silver per head, but now the cost of collecting grain is higher than the cost of conscription. Especially for those poor families with many children, it is simply pushing them into a dead end.
A family in the town went directly to buy □□, and in front of the officers and soldiers, they exchanged a bowl for each person in the Shui family, saying frankly that they had no money and no food, and if they continued to force them, they would have no choice but to die.
Fan Changyu now has a way to make money, so paying the three taels of silver is not a problem, but there are many families in the town who are like her in the past, who cannot afford such a large amount of money even if they empty their family coffers.
The common people spontaneously organized themselves and knelt in front of the county government office, refusing to get up, but the county magistrate never even showed his face.
Having heard such news so many times, Fan Changyu felt extremely anxious.
That evening, holding the Analects in her hands, she could not bear to read any further, so she turned to look at Xie Zheng, only to see him writing something on the pages of the book, with a calm expression, as if he was not disturbed at all by the outside world.
She pursed her lips and said, "This wave of grain collection by the government simply doesn't treat the people as human beings."
Xie Zheng's pen never stopped, and he only said: "The government will not collect grain tax at the rate of one tael of silver per person."
There was an imperceptible chill in his voice.
Fan Changyu was puzzled: "Why not? Didn't the government go door to door to ask for it?"
After Xie Zheng finished his comments, he put down his pen for the moment and said, "There are 200,000 households and 800,000 people in Jizhou Prefecture. Each person pays one tael of silver. The entire Jizhou Prefecture can collect 800,000 taels of silver. During the autumn harvest last year, grain was only 700 to 800 coins per dan. Now that the war has started, the market value is less than one tael of silver per dan. 800,000 taels of silver can buy at least 800,000 dan of rice. The frontline is only collecting grain for emergency purposes, so it doesn't need that much grain."
When he said the latter, there was a chilling coldness in his dark eyes.
Even if Wei Xuan was as stupid as a pig, it was impossible for him to forcibly collect 800,000 shi of grain in Jizhou.
His eagerness to collect grain this time was simply to take advantage of Chongzhou's slackness after the battle and attack Chongzhou by surprise to turn the tables before Wei Yan removed his military power.
To support the imperial court, only 200,000 dan of grain would be enough.
One hundred thousand shi have already been collected from Taizhou, and Jizhou Prefecture only needs to collect another hundred thousand shi.
Forced collection of 800,000 yuan, what is the difference between this and blatant looting?
If the people are pushed to the extreme, they may just rise up in rebellion and even join the rebel king in Chongzhou next door.
After hearing his calculation, Fan Changyu felt that the government's grain collection method was too bizarre, but he was still confused: "But these are indeed the money that the officers and soldiers came to ask for in person. It can't be that they are so bold that they deliberately collected more money, right?"
Xie Zheng said: "Even if the officers and soldiers don't dare, their superiors may not."
Corruption was not uncommon in the government. For example, when the Ministry of Works was building roads and canals or providing disaster relief, the money allocated from the national treasury would be deducted by officials of all ranks, leaving only a few pieces of money for actual use.
The same is true for taxation. The tax rates set by the imperial court are iron laws, and officials below dare not embezzle them. If they want to fill their own pockets, they can only levy higher commercial and grain taxes on the people.
Fan Changyu was not stupid. Hearing what he said, he immediately clenched his palms and said, "You mean, it is very likely that the county magistrate, or officials above the county magistrate, are squeezing the people's money?"
Xie Zheng said: "Just look at how much military rations other counties have collected, and you will know."
Fan Changyu said, "When I go to the county town to deliver goods tomorrow, I'll see if I can run into people from other counties. If I do, I'll ask them."
If other counties confiscated so much, it would mean that the magistrate of Qingping County was using this as an excuse to save money!
Xie Zheng nodded without saying anything.
Fan Changyu had already started to yawn, but he picked up the pen again, as if he wanted to continue making annotations on the book.
Fan Changyu looked at his cold profile under the candlelight and couldn't help but say, "Don't write too late, it will hurt your eyes. Write tomorrow."
Xie Zheng said "hmm" but did not stop writing.
He originally thought that He Jingyuan could subdue Wei Xuan, but he did not expect that He Jingyuan was controlled by Wei Xuan.
As he pondered the reason, a hint of mockery appeared in his cold, dark eyes.
The 200,000 dan of rice that Zhao Chao bought had been taken over by his people. He Jingyuan's people could not find any trace of them and suspected that it was his doing, so they deliberately allowed Wei Xuan to do so, perhaps to force him to show up?
The so-called Confucian general who loved his people like his own children was nothing more than this.
The news of his death in battle had been circulating for so long that the entire Northwest was in chaos. At this critical juncture, he must not let the Northern Jue people take advantage of the opportunity. He had to go back.
As the pen wrote in neat and dignified handwriting, he caught sight of her shadow on the desk. He spoke in a clear and crisp voice, "What do you want for your birthday this month?"
Fan Changyu uttered an "ah" before realizing what he meant. He said, "I appreciate your kindness. My parents passed away just two years ago, so I won't celebrate my birthday this year."
Xie Zheng paused for a moment and said, "Let me make a wish for you. It will be my birthday gift in the future."
Fan Changyu said: "Why does your words sound weird? You can give birthday gifts later. Why now..."
At this point, she paused, and then looked at his densely packed annotations on the pages of the book, and the smile on her face also disappeared: "Are you leaving?"
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The author is late again. My dears, leave a paw print and give a small red envelope to everyone who has been waiting for the update~
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