early morning.
The sun is rising.
As the gate of the county town opened, Linzi County, which had been sleeping all night, gradually woke up and became bustling.
In the east and west markets, the guys yawned and opened the doors of the shops.
Breakfast stalls have long been set up on the streets and alleys.
The smell of fireworks permeates every corner of the county.
Tian Laosan slowly opened his eyes, sat up from the big bed of the inn, stretched, then got up and went to the well in the yard to wash up.
He is from Xinzhen, a jurisdiction of Boxing County, and works as a clerk in a salt shop of a large family in the town.
New Town is close to the sea, so illegal salt is rampant, and the government turns a blind eye to illegal salt dealers.
There's nothing you can do, you can't control it.
By the seaside, everyone can make their own salt. Is it possible that all the people have been arrested?
Besides, all those officials are fed by private salt dealers. If they catch private salt dealers, wouldn't they be depriving themselves of money?
Tian Laosan's boss is the largest private salt dealer in New Town.
The owner's family has salt, but he never buys a grain of salt from the court. All the salt sold in the shop is private salt made by himself.
Last month, the owner negotiated a big deal.
Every ten days, tens of thousands of kilograms of coarse salt have to be transported to Linzi County.
Because he is smart and highly qualified, Tian Laosan naturally got a job of transporting coarse salt.
To be honest, today's world is in chaos, not to mention mountain bandits and bandits, and the rebels are rising one after another.
Tian Laosan didn't want to take this job, but his boss gave him enough wages.
Just one trip and you can get five hundred coins.
This time, it was his third trip.
After washing up, he walked out of the inn at a leisurely pace. After looking around, he walked to a breakfast stall at the entrance of an alley.
As soon as we sat down, the hawker in charge of the stall smiled and said hello: "Good morning, young man, what do you want to eat?"
"Um."
Tian Laosan nodded and ordered: "Here comes a bowl of tofu pudding and two fried cakes."
"Good!"
The vendor yelled and immediately scooped up a bowl full of bean curd, grabbed some minced green onions and chopped pickles and put them into the bowl. Finally, he poured a small spoonful of stewed soup from the clay pot on top.
Douhua originated in the Tang Dynasty, and it became a well-known food in the Song Dynasty.
But at the moment, it’s basically salty tofu pudding.
Sweet bean curd is rare because sugar is too expensive. Even granulated sugar costs thirty or fifty cents per tael, which ordinary people cannot afford.
"Young man, use it slowly, the pancakes will be ready later."
Tian Laosan picked up the spoon, mixed the tofu pudding in the bowl with the seasonings, and then ate it slowly.
Just then, two tax collectors came towards me.
Seeing this, the hawker took out five pennies and handed it over without the servant having to say anything.
After collecting the money, a government official took out a small notebook, wrote a few lines with a pen, and then tore off a piece of paper and handed it over.
Taking the paper, the boss carefully dried it and put it in the drawer.
Watching the two government officials leaving, Tian Laosan cursed in a low voice: "Straight bitch!"
Hearing this, the hawker chuckled and said, "Young gentleman looks strange, aren't you from this county?"
"Um."
Tian Laosan nodded angrily.
The hawker explained: "Young gentleman, you must have wrongly blamed them. The five cents just now are the stall fee. You have to pay it when you leave the stall."
Tian Laosan was angry and said: "You have to pay five cents when you leave the stall. What kind of truth is this? You are still talking to these birds?"
How could he not know what kind of virtue these scumbags had?
"This is a rule set by the county magistrate. As long as you pay a fee of five cents, no one will come to collect taxes. See, do you see, this note is the voucher. If a subordinate comes to ask again, Just show this voucher to them." The vendor said, taking out the receipt from the drawer and shaking it.
Tian Laosan frowned and said, "But if there is no business all day, wouldn't we still have to pay five cents?"
"Won't."
The hawker waved his hand and said with a smile: "Nowadays, the county is prosperous, and there are many caravans traveling from north to south. We hawkers have also benefited from it. Not to mention making a fortune, we have no problem supporting our family."
"He's a good official!"
Tian Laosan didn't know what kind of official the county magistrate was, but in his opinion, the one who could discipline the subordinates well was Mr. Qingtian.
The hawker said with emotion: "Who says it's not the case? In the past, when the county magistrate didn't come, these subordinate staff could collect taxes three or four times a day. Sometimes they had to repay the tax after being busy all day. Now it's better, the county magistrate. After the rectification, these subordinate staff will look like a new person, not to mention how honest they are."
After clearing the accounts a while ago, Han Zhen took advantage of the situation and made adjustments to Linzi County's taxes.
After discussions with Changzhi County and a group of tax collectors, it was decided to increase the commercial tax to a 10% tax.
As for stalls without storefronts, stall fees will be charged instead.
Because unlike merchants who have stores, stores can keep accounts, so it is more convenient to collect taxes.
For street vendors like this, it is very troublesome to collect taxes, and it is not easy to count.
After all, in the information age of later generations, tax evasion cannot be eradicated, let alone now.
Therefore, for the sake of convenience and to prevent subordinate officials from tampering with hawkers, they simply charged a stall fee of five cents per stall, with a voucher as evidence.
As for merchants who have shops in the county and merchants traveling from north to south, they have to pay 10% commercial tax.
The 10% business tax was apparently twice as high as before, but after the subordinate officials were reorganized, the tax paid by businesses was reduced several times.
The merchant is not a fool, so he is naturally willing.
"Xiao Langjun, the pancakes are ready."
The vendor brought a small plate to the low table.
On the plate, two golden fried cakes exuded bursts of steam, making people's index fingers move when they looked at them.
Tian Laosan picked up a piece, blew a few breaths of cool air, and took a small bite.
The fried pancake has a crispy outer skin and is especially sweet with the chive filling.
Suddenly, a group of people, both men and women, rushed towards the county government office.
Tian Laosan asked curiously: "What are you doing?"
The hawker was no longer surprised and speculated: "I guess the county government is recruiting workers again."
"It's strange that you are so active in recruiting corvees?" Tian Laosan looked confused.
In Boxing County, if they knew about the recruitment of corvees, every common person would sigh and complain endlessly.
This is Linzi County, and the people are rushing to apply for the draft.
"Young Master, you don't know. We are recruiting corvees in Linzi County. They not only provide for a meal, but also pay wages."
The hawker chuckled, with a sense of pride in his tone.
Tian Laosan was stunned for a moment, then asked: "How much?"
"Twenty coins for men and ten coins for women."
"So many?"
Tian Laosan exclaimed and calculated: "Based on this, if both men and women in the family are called to do corvee work, wouldn't they be able to have a lot of money in a month?"
The hawker shook his head and said with a smile: "Young man is joking, you can't have such a job every day, I only do it for three to five days every time."
While he was talking, there was a burst of noise in the streets and alleys.
“The county government is recruiting workers again!”
"You're such a tough guy, why don't you hurry up and answer the call?"
"Hurry, hurry, we won't be able to catch up if it's too late."
"..."
Immediately afterwards, a dark crowd came from all directions and gathered towards the county government office.
Seeing this scene, Tian Laosan was amazed.
He has come to Zi County three times, and every time he comes he finds new changes.
Moreover, they are all changing for the better.
Thinking about their officials in Boxing County, Tian Laosan couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
…
…
Yidu County.
In the lobby of the government office, Zhao Ting was wearing a crimson official robe and sitting upright.
There were two people standing below, one of them was Luo Sha, and the other was Yu Chaohuan, the commander of the Horse Budu of the Armed Guards.
They were both commanders of the same army, and both were officials of the fifth rank, but Yu Chaohuan's status was higher than Luo Sha's.
The reason is simple. He is commanding the Imperial Army.
The Forbidden Army is divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. The Forbidden Army such as Pengri, Tianwu and Longwei are the first level and are responsible for guarding the capital.
The remaining two classes are divided into three situations.
That is, the forbidden army is stationed, the forbidden army is stationed, and the forbidden army is provided with food.
The garrison is under normal watch and sent to various states and prefectures, mostly in the northwest and Hebei.
There is actually no difference between stationing and stationing. The only difference is that stationing in the mainland.
Food is more interesting.
The Wuwei Army was the army that banned grain. It was first stationed on Huainan West Road. Later, this area suffered from severe flooding and the grain harvest plummeted.
So, with a transfer order from the imperial court, the Wuwei Army was transferred to Qingzhou where there had been good harvests for several years.
From a place with less food to a place with more food, this is a food-forbidden army.
They belong to the various states and wander around, begging for food.
Although the Forbidden Army in various places has been eroded over the years, it is still much better than the Xiang Army, which is actually a refugee camp. At least it can suppress some small-scale rebellions with ease.
Luo Sha and Yu Chaohuan quietly looked at each other, looking at each other.
Zhao Ting summoned the two of them so formally, which made them feel uneasy.
At this time, Zhao Ting, who was sitting above him, slowly said: "I am calling you here this time because I am preparing to send troops to suppress the rebellion and suppress the rebel Zhang Wanxian!"
Send troops to quell rebellion?
Both of them were stunned, with a trace of panic flashing in their eyes.
This Zhao Ting had his brain damaged today and actually took the initiative to send troops to suppress the rebellion!
Luo Sha drank his soldiers' blood on empty wages, and he, Yu Chaohuan, was not much better.
The Wuwei Army used to have more than 28,000 people, but now there are actually only more than 10,000 people in the military camp.
Moreover, due to neglect of training over the years, it is okay to scare the bandits and bandits, but asking them to suppress the Dare Chi Army is no different from risking death.
Thinking of this, Yu Chaohuan swallowed his saliva, cupped his hands and said: "Zhizhou, I will think that it is better to be still than to move at the moment. The Wanxian number has more than 100,000 people, and it has captured Changping some time ago, and its momentum is at its peak. At this time, it is rash If we send out troops, I’m afraid it will be difficult to win.”
Zhao Ting stroked his beard and said, "I have signed a letter with the magistrate of Weizhou. The Northern Navy will send troops soon to capture Changping. You and others will besiege Shouguang. By then we will attack from both front and rear, and we will definitely be able to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop!"
"This... Zhizhou has foresight and foresight, and I will always admire him."
Yu Chaohuan flattered him and smiled bitterly in his heart.
Zhao Ting suddenly shouted: "Yu Chaohuan obeys the order!"
"The general is here!"
Yu Chaohuan hurriedly answered with cupped fists.
Zhao Ting ordered: "I order you to organize the army immediately and send out troops tomorrow."
"General... obey your orders!"
No matter how reluctant he was, Yu Chaohuan could only agree.
Then, Zhao Ting turned his attention to Luo Sha beside him.
"Luo Sha obeys the order!"
"The general is here!"
"You are ordered to command the navy and assist the armed guards in suppressing the rebellion."
"I will obey your orders!"
(End of chapter)
