There is a characteristic of people, that is, they forget to eat and not to beat. Liang Chuan viciously punished the young adults in three villages. Because of the problem of fetching water, the people who were beaten had lingering fears about Liang Chuan, but most people forgot quickly because it was not a positive incident. In the conflict with Liang Chuan, they followed the trend and committed the crime. Others ran away, so they would not take the lead. Over time, although it was spread that Liang Chuan had a violent fight, it would still be forgotten.
But when most people from the three villages came to Liang Chuan's house to buy rice, they knew he was good. Liang Chuan didn't rely on this to do business. Someone came to the door and it was obvious that the price of rice from Liang Chuan's family was cheap. In fact, he had enough rice at home and had evil intentions. In such a situation, He Baozheng asked Liang Chuan for permission and would never sell it to them.
Liang Chuan has become the leading celebrity on the north bank of Nanxi River. The North Shore has never had any big names. It is known as a poor place, and wealthy people avoid it when they see it. Now they had some information. This man was even regarded as a guest by the county magistrate. There were various legends about him in the four villages.
The flood caused losses to the other three villages, which deeply touched the people of Helu. They witnessed this tragic situation with their own eyes. After entering September, the rain finally decreased a lot, and there were occasional good weather. The three villages were affected by flash floods. Many people died.
When it rains, there is no way to hold a funeral. As soon as the rain stops, even if it is cloudy, people take advantage of God's mercy to move the body out and roll it up with straw mats or bury it in the coffin that has been prepared at home. Otherwise, it will rot and then bury it. If it continues to develop, it will be a plague.
Some entire families died. At that time, you could often see thick smoke rising inexplicably from the three villages, and then a strange fragrance would drift over. Don't think that he is holding a barbecue party or something like that. People who understand will tell their children that someone has died in their village and their bodies are being burned.
Just because they had prepared in advance, these tragedies had nothing to do with them. Many of them would also sell the extra rice they bought to the villagers in the three villages, because Liang Chuan had already told them that if they bought more rice, they would If you use it enough, you can make money from other things.
People's happiness is beyond comparison. You can sleep peacefully at home, the rice vat is full of rice, you don't have to worry about how long the rain will last, and you won't grieve for the death of your loved ones. It just rains. After a rain, the crops in the field were still intact. Then every day I see people from other villages crying and begging for food from them with sad faces. This is happiness.
Entering September, the rain in Xinghua has decreased a lot, although the water in Nanxi River is still strong, scouring the ruins of Shima Bridge brutally. This historic stone bridge now only has two piers left. The face has disappeared.
This stone bridge is the only way to Fengshan and Xinghua. There is no bridge connecting the two places. You have to go around in a big circle. First go to Xiayuan and then go around from the upper reaches of Nanxi River, and then grab the mountain behind He Lu. To reach four more villages, the road is long and difficult.
Substitutes soon appeared, and a simple bridge was soon erected over South Creek. This bridge is a simple pontoon bridge made of wooden planks, tied with bamboo rafts and floated on the water to serve as piers. Heavy objects cannot pass, so the only way to pass is by horseback.
When the villagers from the four villages saw the pontoon bridge being erected, no one looked happy. Liang Chuan even ran to take a look at the bridge. It swayed violently when people walked on it. They must not leave when the water rises. It is too dangerous. , it was all gone when it fell into the water.
The people in the four villages watched blankly as the craftsmen of Xinghua County Government built the bridge. Liang Chuan was very happy because he saw that the other villagers seemed unwilling to build the bridge. He Baozheng was like a roundworm in Liang Chuan's belly. He knew immediately that Liang Chuan wanted to ask why.
The two people stood on the edge of Nanxi River, with dense clouds under their heads. The wind by the stream was already a bit cool, not because it was cold, but because it made people feel cold. He Baozheng explained: "Do you know why these villagers, who were not seen when the disaster struck, are now so active in building bridges?"
Liang Chuan shook his head like a wavy drum, "I really don't know about this."
He Baozheng said with disdain on his face: "It's time to collect the autumn tax now, that's why they are so active. Without a bridge, they can't get across. The villagers' fields have stopped harvesting this year and they can't even eat. How can they have money?" Leave it to them, so they would rather the bridge be broken and these human blood-sucking beasts not be able to cross!"
Collect taxes! Liang Chuan lived in the era of later generations where all taxes were paid before the salary was paid into his hands. When the goods were purchased, they were automatically paid. It can be said that the presence of taxes in life was very low, but it is completely different now. All the land in the world belongs to the emperor alone. If you cultivate his land, you have to pay taxes to him. No one can escape, except monks, who are not allowed to lose it, because it is for the Buddha.
Liang Chuan smiled bitterly, no wonder these people were so active. This is like withdrawing money from an ATM, and your card has been swallowed. You are worried about not leaving, who knows if someone else will come and withdraw money with your card. If you call someone from the bank to do the maintenance, they can delay the maintenance until working hours. But if you call them in the middle of the night and tell them that the ATM has spit out money, a staff member will definitely show up within three minutes.
Disaster relief requires money and food. They have no time to care about the life and death of these poor people. But tax collection is different. If the tax revenue is not enough, they will have no profit and water, and they will have to be scolded by their superiors. This is the same reason.
"Didn't I say that in this year of floods and droughts, farmers will have no harvest, and the court will be merciful and waive part or all of the taxes? Am I remembering it wrong?" Liang Chuan still remembers that he ordered that if a ten-tenth of a field's property loses more than four cents, it will be exempted from rent, and a six-point loss will be exempted from rent. It is illegal to reduce or reduce taxes by more than seven points or to pay taxes according to this standard, and the court must impose sanctions. The minimum penalty for officials who violate the law is seventy strokes of the cane, and the maximum penalty is three years. For the illegal behavior of villagers who pay taxes The lightest punishment is thirty sticks and one year in prison. Are history books a lie?
He Bao sighed and said: "If all the imperial decrees could be implemented fairly, the people's lives would not be so difficult. You see, the output of these villages this year is less than two cents out of ten. , but when the season comes in the county, the tax will still be collected at ten points. Who dares to say no? Failure to pay is a serious crime of beheading. You will not win wherever you sue. This is in the official’s pocket. Money and food, if you rob an official’s money and then sue the official, who in the world would dare to step forward?”
"I'm afraid the policy is still the same, but these people and tax collectors have corrupted us!"
"Then do you have anything to do with them?" He Bao said angrily.
In this era where there is no surveillance and no image or video data, all the evidence is either written in black and white, or it is all based on one mouth. There are many loopholes. What is black can be made white. This is the truth. If these tax collectors say that you There is a very good harvest in the fields. No matter how much you argue, it will be in vain. The status of both parties is unequal, and the advantage of public power is too great.
"Then you just obediently hand over the food? Are you going to let them slaughter you like this?" Liang Chuan couldn't believe it. "If you make the matter a big deal, and the superiors come down to investigate, won't the matter be solved?"
He Baozheng asked in confusion: "Why is it causing such a big fuss?"
Liang Chuan blurted out: "Rise up, rebel!" Liang Chuan said it as casually as eating and drinking, and it didn't sound like a joke, giving people the illusion that he would just do it.
He Baozheng's face was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost knelt down. He quickly turned his head a few times, looked around for no one, and at the same time reached out to cover Liang Chuan's mouth. Only after confirming that there was no third person around was he relieved, and slowly lowered his hand. As soon as he put down his hand, his heart relaxed. When he came to his senses, he raised his hand again and slapped Liang Chuan on the back of the head!
This was a real beating, and it made Liang Chuan's head hurt. He bared his teeth and said, "Why did you hit me?"
"You still dare to ask me why I beat you!" He Baozheng said angrily. He used to think that this child was quite sensible. Why is it that today he is like a man possessed by an evil spirit. He can eat and speak indiscriminately.
"Isn't it?" Liang Chuan said unconvinced.
"If there is a third person next to us today, and he hears this and files a complaint, both of us will be beheaded. It doesn't matter if you die yourself. Our wives and daughters will all be sold to the brothels. Do you think that should be done? It’s time to hit!”
What He Baozheng said is the truth. Some words in this era are forever forbidden and must not be spoken indiscriminately. This kind of terrifying atmosphere is worse than that of a certain era in New China. The word "rebellion" cannot even be thought of. Absolutely restricted area, unless you are tired of living and thinking about how to rebel, otherwise once caught, the end will be extremely tragic.
Liang Chuan was still living in the era of freedom of speech. He had watched Water Margin too many times, and the thought of being unhappy and going against his mother was deeply imprinted in his mind. To be honest, Liang Chuan just indulged in talking and talking, but did he do the opposite? It would be great if it were so easy. Those 108 top-notch figures in Liangshan were either great at fighting or powerful in their methods. They just made a small splash and left Liang Chuan, a small-time person who would not be considered one of the future generations. Can a clerk create rebellion in the Song Dynasty? Liang Chuan himself didn't believe it.
These officials and soldiers may be afraid to wet their pants when dealing with Khitans and party members, but if they point their swords and guns at these common people who can only hold hoes and cultivate the land, they can be full of chicken blood in minutes. , each of them became an invincible god of war, allowing the common people to understand what it means to block a chariot with a mantis' arm, and what it means to regret coming into this world.
"I think you are used to living such a good life, and you are starting to think about things you shouldn't think about. Let's take care of your own life first. Your life must not have been easy in the past, so you forgot it so quickly? From a poor family? It is not easy for a child to turn over, so we must cherish our current life even more. Those unrealistic things should not come from our mouths. I won’t talk to you anymore this time, but you have to remember that you have to be happy too. Take control and think about the artist and the girls who depend on you for their lives."
