Luoxiao Mountain District has been inhabited as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty.
It’s not that people can’t live in the mountains, or fields can’t be cultivated, it’s just that there are relatively few places suitable for human life, the soil is thin and not fertile enough, and there are few places that can be cultivated, making it difficult to create large-scale human settlements.
Here we can only live in scattered settlements one by one, so from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present, there have been no large-scale human settlements, and most of the areas are still uninhabited virgin forest areas.
However, since the Song Dynasty, more and more people have entered the mountainous areas to become bandits due to the harsh government. The existence of bandits has actually led to many more habitable human settlements in this mountainous area.
Zhao Yucheng, Xu Tong, Du Qi and others drilled in the mountains for more than two months and discovered some mountain basins suitable for human habitation in the mountains.
There are five mountain basins they discovered, two of which are uninhabited and three are occupied. Naturally, the people who occupy these mountain basins are bandits who rely on the steep mountains to survive here. .
It seems that these bandits do not make a living entirely by robbing. They also cultivate land. There are also places suitable for farming in these mountain basins. These bandits gather together and join them. Some people are responsible for farming, and some are responsible for licking the knife. Blood.
This feeling is good. As long as there are mountain basins and living people in the mountainous area, there will be no problem.
In addition to these survival areas, they also choose secret places in the mountains as reserve bases. They buy food in batches and find channels to buy private salt and weapons. Some are stored in their residences, and some are stored in the mountains in case of emergencies. need.
Such channels are not difficult to find.
In a place full of bandit dens, it is not difficult to obtain private salt and weapons, and as long as they are willing to pay, they can even help to obtain armor and crossbows.
It seems that there are so many bandits in these places and it is not strange that the government cannot wipe them out despite repeated raids.
Obviously, the official needs the bandits, the bandits also need the official, and everyone needs each other.
After understanding this kind of thing, Zhao Yucheng became even more disdainful of the local government. He felt that the level of the Southern Song Dynasty government in governing local areas was uneven, but in matters such as forcing good girls into prostitution, they were uniformly high-level.
Soon, everything that should be prepared was ready, and Zhao Yucheng and others began to prepare to awaken the people and light the first fire.
They began to spread out into rural areas and contact the villagers through their identities as small businessmen.
Examine their real living conditions, experience the hardship of their labor, and then sell them at very low prices or even give them away for free, and give them some daily necessities, such as rice, flour, and oil.
In addition, before they set off, they generally learned some simple medical skills at Su Yonglin's suggestion and mastered some folk remedies that were very effective in treating headaches and brain fever. They provided free diagnosis and treatment to some villagers who were sick but had no money for treatment.
Through this method, these rejuvenation members who dispersed among the people gradually gained the gratitude and trust of the local people, and established a relatively good relationship with them. They can all call out their names, and they are all quite familiar with each other.
After getting familiar with it, they used literacy education as a starting point for the infertile children in the village. They received more thanks from the villagers, and their mutual trust further increased.
Just when the Renaissance members were preparing to spread new ideas and concepts from this aspect, an accident happened.
Last year, Jiangnan West Road was generally hit by drought, which reduced grain production. Originally, Lanan authorities learned of the disaster and allowed the local government to reduce or reduce agricultural taxes as appropriate to help farmers survive the disaster year.
However, local officials over-read the word "discretionary" and misinterpreted the original meaning of Lin'an.
Lin'an allowed local agricultural taxes to be reduced or exempted to reduce the burden on the people. This seemed to the local government to be a good opportunity to make up for the shortfall.
Because officials, big and small, eat and drink at public expense, carry out large-scale construction projects, embezzle state funds for various reasons, etc., Luling's finances have become very ugly. A group of officials are worrying about what to do if someone from above is sent to investigate.
As a result, the imperial court exempted and exempted agricultural taxes as appropriate!
Isn't this a great opportunity to make up for the shortfall?
The imperial court said it would be a reduction or exemption at its discretion, so if I reduce the amount by one hundred pence, it is also a reduction, and if I reduce the amount by one penny, it is also a reduction. Why shouldn't I have the final say in the reduction or exemption?
So the officials of Luling County worked hard, and it was equivalent to no tax reduction or exemption. All the various exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes that had been levied in the past were also included. No less, pay it to me!
Only after we pay it can we make up for the shortfall. If you don't pay it, and the superiors find out, how will we explain it?
In addition to this meaning, they also have a deeper meaning.
Although these unscrupulous people are poor people and cannot extract much oil and water individually, there are many poor people. One poor person cannot extract oil and water, but a hundred can extract rich oil and water.
They also own land, but if their families are destroyed through taxation, the land will inevitably be sold.
At that time, some well-known big landowners and wealthy people will send people to buy land at low prices, keep the price as low as possible, and take in all the land.
When the landlords and gentry get the land, of course they have to give benefits to the government. If the government has enough to eat and drink, it can also make up for the shortfall, and get rid of these restless poor ghosts in one fell swoop. Isn't it wonderful?
What a win.
The county government sent vicious tax collectors to the countryside to collect taxes. It was worried that there were not enough manpower and insufficient deterrence, and some unruly people would not pay taxes obediently, so they hired some idle people from the city to follow them to the countryside.
Good guy, that’s such a fuss.
Those who are unwilling to pay taxes are left alone, but some who are willing to pay taxes are troubled and their families are disturbed, and even their families are destroyed.
The tax collectors and the idle market people who followed them were as ferocious as jackals, tigers and leopards. Wearing an official uniform was like being plated with a layer of gold. They were indestructible. If the villagers bumped into them, it would be regarded as rebellion and should be punished. .
It was obviously a year of famine, but the tax collection was more fierce than before, which made it unbearable for many families. Many people went bankrupt, fled, died, were injured, and mourned everywhere.
Seeing this, Zhao Yucheng couldn't bear it anymore.
He took advantage of his reputation in Nanhuangtu Village, Luling County, raised his arms, issued weapons to them, and led more than ninety men in the village to surround and kill thirteen tax collectors and gangsters who came to collect taxes.
Thirteen people were hung up and beaten, and then beheaded one by one in front of everyone in the village. Zhao Yucheng beheaded them while delivering a speech to the villagers.
"Why do they increase taxes in lean years? Aren't taxes supposed to be reduced in lean years? Why do they raise taxes instead? Are you confused and don't understand why these people in the government want to raise taxes instead? , isn’t this going to drive everyone to death?
That’s right! They just want to force us to death! They just squeezed every last bit of money and food out of everyone, and then forced us all to die together! In this way, the remaining land we have will be theirs, and they can sell it to the big landowners and gentry, allowing them to buy this land at a low price!
Then what? The landlords and gentry have land, and their official duties can be rewarded by the landlords and gentry. They can get a large sum of money, which allows them to spend a lot of money and fish and eat. But what about us? He will starve to death, freeze to death, and die from exhaustion! Died in the wilderness, the body was eaten by dogs, leaving only the bones! "
Zhao Yucheng stood on the high platform with a red face, looked at the villagers with red eyes, and roared: "I ask you! Are you willing to starve to death, freeze to death, and die of exhaustion?"
"I don't want to!!"
the villagers chanted.
The shouts went from low to high, from scattered to uniform, and the momentum was so loud that it scared the tax collectors and gangsters to tremble, completely losing their previous fierce demeanor and constantly begging for mercy.
"Since you don't want to die, then pick up the weapon in your hand, pick up the knife, and chop all these bastards who want our lives to death! Your own land, your own family, and your own money must be destroyed with the knife in your hand. guard!"
Zhao Yucheng roared angrily, raised his knife, raised the knife with his hand, and chopped off the head of a tax collector.
The tax collector's head rolled off the platform, and his headless body fell limply to the ground.
Followed closely by the farmers' passionate shouts that almost broke their throats and the shrill screams of the tax collectors and gangsters.
Thirteen government lackeys were killed, and Zhao Yucheng led more than 400 people in the village to rise up and embark on a journey of rebellion.
