People in the four villages have not had to worry about paying taxes for many years. Although their lives are very hard and the land is cultivated carelessly, they have paid the taxes they should pay after one year of planting, and the rest The food is barely enough for the family to survive without starving to death. Anyway, life is fine. But things are different now. They have no food at all. The price of rice is so high now. If the house is clean, it will be enough for two mouthfuls, and they still have to pay a ridiculous amount of tax.
The day after the pontoon bridge was built, the tax collectors were like Japanese soldiers coming to the village to raid the village. They all went to the countryside in high spirits. Rarely, even the Huang Tie Si came down. Because the account book of the land amount was produced by the Huang Tie Division, he only knew the amount of the account and how much tax would be collected.
Normally, he would not be willing to do such menial work. It would be very uncomfortable to deal with such refugees. His legs would be broken, and he would have to perform all-out martial arts every day.
But when he discovered the reason why these government officials were obsessed with collecting taxes, he became completely obsessed with this menial job. Damn it, grandma, he was so stupid just sitting in the county government office and missed so many opportunities to make a fortune! It turns out that when collecting taxes, you can either pay them directly in food or money, or you can even use them in kind instead. Some losses must be included in the taxes paid. In fact, the losses are all consumed by these moths.
Several villages are already starving to death, but there are so many tax collectors. If you lose a penny or a grain of grain, they will make you vomit it out. What? If you can't spit it out, I'll beat you out! All the valuable things in the house were moved away, except for a needle and a thread, everything else was taken away! The villagers' screams filled the field, but they turned a deaf ear. Isn't it just for this moment? If you squeeze out more grains and copper coins from these people, they can put more in their pockets.
Ye Xiaochai closed Fengshan for a long time. She heard that a pontoon bridge was built over the stream. Now the rain has become lighter and the flood has receded. She is thinking about opening a store. The store is now recruiting her brother's father. He is in Fengshan has been living in Fengshan for a long time. Zhaodi's father doesn't know how to run the business, so he still has to go out on his own.
When she walked to Chihe, she saw these tax collectors robbing homes and houses. The scene was even more miserable than the Khitan people going south. Wherever the tax collectors passed, the doors and windows of every house were closed. These tax collecting jackals shouted twice, but no one answered. Four people carried a thick log and broke through the door. With a bang, the wooden door of the hut was broken and wood chips flew into the air. Flying boards smashed directly into the house. These people rushed Entering the house, he muttered: "Damn it, I asked you to pretend to be dead. If the policeman calls you, don't you dare agree!" He pulled out the water and fire stick and the iron ruler and iron plate and pointed them at the human flesh. It would be hard to beat this kind of guy. Broken bones and tendons.
Men were beaten, women, old people and children hugged the officers and knelt down to beg for mercy. They started beating the hands, and the beasts locked up in their hearts were released. How could they hold it back? Some even beat old people and children. Who can borrow your courage? Dare to stop officials from collecting taxes!
Ye Xiaochai had seen real gangsters, like those in Dafushan, but in her eyes, these so-called official gangs were even more hateful than those gangsters. , the people have been in a very difficult situation due to the disaster this year, do they still want to kill them all? .
Ye Xiaochai was so scared that he didn't dare to go to Fengshan anymore. He returned to the place and quickly told Liang Chuan the news. He remembered that Liang Chuan had a lot of academic fields under his name. He didn't know how much tax these fields would charge. They were acting so viciously. , it would not be good if the fire breaks out later, I have to come back quickly to report the news.
The tax collectors composed of these government servants are extremely happy. They can beat people and make money at the same time. There is simply no more comfortable job in the world. Refusing to pay taxes is a serious crime, and a beating is a light crime. But being arrested is a serious crime. It's not a pleasant feeling to have to be caned first and then sentenced to several years.
They fought all the way over. Although every household was poor, it would not be completely exhausted. Each household had either rice or a little money. If they didn't even have this little stock, then this flood would be a disaster. After that, there was basically no way to survive.
The Huang Tie Division reported to the government officials based on the number of acres they registered in the county's land ledger, how much should be charged and let the government officials and other big-headed soldiers argue with the villagers. Scholars would have no reason to say anything when they meet them, not to mention how hard they are. silly peasant.
It’s not that they didn’t know the damage on the north bank, but for the sake of their own pockets, they had to pretend they didn’t see it and robbed too much. They reported that the damage on the north bank was also serious, and according to the court regulations, they couldn’t pay too much tax. Yes, otherwise the county magistrate himself will be in trouble. What if the money is collected and put in his own pocket?
It went so well. They collected them all the way. The situation in the three villages was very miserable, but it would be even worse if they were beaten. If the money is gone, you can make it again and beg it back. If you lose your life, you will have nothing. The villagers are not stupid and will not fight with the officials if they fight with anyone. They will definitely suffer losses. They just want to survive and be obedient people. Anyway, the price of rice at Sanlang in Helu is not very high. Go buy some more and work harder next year to make up for the shortfall. It’s just that life will be harder. Farmers can eat anything, so why are they afraid of hardship? Borrowing a little is borrowing, and borrowing more is borrowing. At worst, it will only give Saburo two more years of work.
When the tax collection team received He Lu, they suddenly felt that this place seemed different, but they couldn't tell the specific difference for a while. They have been to this ravine, which is almost the same as the one above Shicang, and is even poorer than it. Every year, they encounter the most fierce resistance here. Even if they take away a grain of rice from them, they will pretend to follow them. The situation of dying together is quite scary. The government officials are also human beings. They don't want anything to happen in such a bad place, even risking their own lives.
The people from He Lu looked completely different when they came today. No one had a sad face, and there were even smiles on their faces, as if they were waiting for them to come over and pay taxes on their own initiative. Damn it, they have collected taxes all their lives and have never seen anything like this.
Of course the Helu people are happy. The other three villages are too poor to squeeze out a drop of water. They are different. Today is different from the past. They are rich now! Sometimes the mentality is so strange, a bad thing can be transformed into a 'good thing' that is good for him under different circumstances.
The tax collectors knocked on the shabby little hut at the entrance of He Lu's village. It was not only on the roadside, but it was still a short walk away from the main road. The original door was tightly closed, and the tax collectors broke in expecting another robbery.
Bang bang bang, the process still had to go through, and the tax collector knocked on the door until dust flew down.
"Open the door, open the door! The tax is collected!" The tax collector's voice sounded like a tiger or a wolf. The four tax collectors had already picked up the logs, with grins on their faces. They were looking forward to enjoying the pleasure of destruction.
Unexpectedly, the door opened with a creak, and the room was tidied up brightly. When I looked in, I saw that the room was full of books, but there was no trace of musty smell. It had been raining for months, and if the house was not tidied carefully, the musty smell could make people faint. .
"Master, how much do you have to pay?" It was Meng Liangchen's mother who spoke.
Everyone was stunned for a moment. Can this old woman go to the ground? The burial was almost done, and the payment was so straightforward. It was really difficult to deal with someone who was so cooperative with the work. Everyone looked at Huang Tiesi. Huang Tiesi understood the idea, put his hand on the tip of his tongue, drank some saliva, and started to turn over Helu. land account. "Auntie, are you Meng's family?"
Mother Meng originally hated these subordinate officials because her son was imprisoned. However, after the good minister came out, he said that he had not been harmed in prison and that his mental problems were due to his poor endurance, so she was relieved. .
"I'm just wondering how much food Cha will collect?"
Huang Tiesi read the handwriting along the account book and read: "In Fengshan Township, Xinghua, the autumn tax of the Tiansheng Guihai year was two dou of rice, and the rest were exempted." Everyone looked at Meng Mu again, this wife Is it really so smooth?
Land productivity in the Song Dynasty was not very high. In the north, a lot of wheat was harvested three times every two years. In the south, Champa rice was introduced for the first time, and most of it was harvested once a year. In Lingnan, there was more rice harvested twice a year. The productivity of one acre of land is about 200 kilograms of grain, and more than 300 to 400 kilograms of rice, depending on the land. The agricultural tax in the Song Dynasty was relatively low, about 7%, which meant that one acre of land cost 20 kilograms. This included losses, so it was about 20 kilograms.
Mother Meng readily took out 20 kilograms of grain in front of everyone's eyes and put it in a sack. She did not talk much or complain, and cooperated very cooperatively to complete the duties of a land-guarding citizen.
The tax collectors suddenly felt a sense of disparity in their hearts. There was no joy of victory, no sense of superiority, just like a small character who came to work for people, and there was a strong sense of frustration in their hearts!
"Let's go! Next one!" The leading tax collector's surname is Wang, and his name is Wang Mao. He is just a small boss in the government office. He wants to be the boss and has been busy delivering gifts through the back door for half his life, but he still hasn't gotten anything. The leaders in the county look at him. Although there is no merit, there is also fatigue. Occasionally, I will give him some lucrative jobs to run around. Wang Mao said in frustration.
The next family is still in the same situation. In the past, the harvest was not good, and there was no other income. Every day, I had to break a steamed bun into two bites to eat. Now I can occasionally drink some broth!
The tax collector knocked on the door of He Jinyin's house, but the sound was still so loud. He Jinyin quit his job. He had not committed any crime and had not evaded taxes. Why should he be slandered by these bastards! A quarrel broke out with the tax collector on the spot.
"My grandson is studying at home. If you startle him, I'm afraid you will be sued later!" He Jinyin has been angry with these people before. He has been holding it in for decades, and he has never been so proud as today.
read? You poor country people still have a husband teaching your children to read? The tax collector looked into He Jinyin's home and saw a little baby learning to write in the water with a piece of wood dipped in some water. There was also a thread-bound book next to it, a brand new book! Damn it, this place is so shabby, that aunt’s house just now was full of books, and even this random family’s baby was learning to write, this village is so weird!
Tax collectors are bullies who are afraid of hard work. He Jinyin also paid enough tax and grain according to his family's land, so they can't find a reason to get angry. If they continue to offend the people and report it to the magistrate, nothing will happen, and the magistrate will not do it. Will be partial.
What a damn bad luck, Wang Mao led a group of tax collectors and left again cursing.
