In a courtyard of this palace.
There were several bonfires.
There was a large piece of wild boar meat on the bonfire, and the aroma was fragrant. Zhang Bao and others sat around the bonfire, eating and drinking.
Although the weather was cold, there was no wind in the courtyard of the palace. Even after drinking some wine around the bonfire, I didn't feel too cold.
"What do you mean, I ordered your county magistrate to collect taxes from you?"
"And it's a lot of money?"
Zhang Bao asked Ashan while adding firewood.
"Isn't that right?"
"A lot of the salt roads in Dongzhou have not been restored recently, and we horse soldiers basically have no way to survive."
"Before, there was only a head tax, which was barely manageable."
"But now you want us to pay horse tax and car tax separately. The tax money can be used to buy horses."
Ah Shan said timidly to the side.
"So that's it, then I understand what's going on."
Zhang Bao nodded.
After hearing what Ashan said, Zhang Bao was naturally suspicious.
He had never given such an order before, and it was even less likely that Fang Fu would give such an order.
After all, for them, what they need most when Dongzhou is initially decided is stability. Not only can they not increase taxes, but they will use tax reductions and exemptions to stabilize people's hearts.
It is impossible for Fang Fu not to understand this truth.
There is only one possibility.
The county magistrate here did it privately.
However, this purpose is somewhat puzzling.
Either they are planning to make a large sum of money and then run away, or they are deliberately using their reputation to pit themselves against the people of Dongzhou.
These two reasons, no matter where they come from, are not easy to handle.
It seems that Dongzhou is really not that simple.
At that time, when Fan Hanzhong and others captured Taizhou, Taizhou was still in a state of hostility and war, and nothing like this happened.
There is such a surging undercurrent in Dongzhou, which is really troublesome.
"His grandma!"
"These people from Dongzhou are indeed from business, they just have the ability."
"There are so many small calculations about this kind of thing. Aren't they trying to do something behind our backs?"
"We want money, why do we need to use this method?"
"Just break it off and take it away!"
Lao He turned the barbecue on the side.
"It seems that thanks to not going to Pingyang County tonight, otherwise I might not have known about this kind of thing."
"If they are determined to deal with us, we might be caught off guard."
Zhang Bao nodded.
"Forehead……"
"I see that this is not what you meant?"
"Then are you really Zhang Zhoumu?"
Ah Shan, who was on the side, heard Zhang Bao and Lao He's words and asked timidly.
"nonsense!"
"You have some brains!"
"If we were so greedy for money, why would we just ask you for ten taels of silver? We should at least ask for a thousand or eight hundred taels!"
"We are all honest people!"
Lao He said disdainfully.
"Forehead……"
"Actually... ten taels of silver is quite a lot..."
"Having caught up with half a pig..."
Ah Shan muttered on the side.
Although his archery skills are superb, his kung fu is mediocre.
He could tell from the contact just now that not only were the old man and the young man good at martial arts, but the people following him, except for the ordinary woman, were also masters!
"Half a pig, ten taels of silver?"
"Are these wild animals so valuable in Dongzhou?"
"I should have known I would come here to hunt in Dongzhou!"
"Bah, it's not cooked yet!"
Lao He took a knife and cut off a piece of meat. He tasted it and couldn't bite it, so he spit it out.
"Yes, there are still very few hunters in our Dongzhou state."
"But many wealthy households prefer this kind of thing, so many people buy it at high prices. Especially in winter, the price of these meats is good."
Ah Shan explained to several people on the side.
This Ah Shan, relying on his exquisite archery skills, is considered to be the top hunter in the area.
Other hunters basically use some traps to catch small prey, and they dare not touch large and ferocious animals like wild boars at will.
But Ashan can.
Although these wild boars, mountain wolves and other animals are huge and powerful, Ashan can always find a flaw in such exquisite archery skills.
"I think you mean to drive this wild boar here intentionally?"
Zhang Bao asked.
After all, according to Ashan's archery skills, even if the shot misses the eye, it shouldn't be that far behind.
Moreover, the arrow was so powerful and heavy that it grazed Lao He's scalp and was nailed to the wall.
"right!"
"When I usually encounter bigger things in the mountains, I will lure them here through traps."
"That beast was just lucky. The arrow was supposed to hit one eye, but unexpectedly, it rolled down a hillside."
"That's why I almost shot you."
Ah Shan looked at Lao He who was standing aside apologetically.
The hair on the already sparse head seems to be much thinner...
"Get in here?"
"Do you still come often?"
Zhang Bao was a little surprised.
"It was by chance before that I jumped here chasing a fox."
"The inside has been abandoned for a long time, and the doors are open. However, there are many yards inside that can trap these things, which is easy for me to do."
Ah Shan explained.
"It's ready to eat. It's definitely cooked now. I didn't expect this wild boar meat to taste better than before!"
"I can't tell, but your barbecue skills are pretty good."
Lao He grinned and said to Ah Shan.
"That's natural. The most indispensable thing we have here is salt. If these meats are salted first and then grilled, they will be even more delicious."
Ah Shan smiled.
"Well, you live around here?"
"There was someone here before?"
Zhang Bao asked.
"In fact, I do not know."
"Since those things were not done by you, Zhang Zhoumu, then I have nothing to hide."
"Speaking of which, I should be considered a fugitive..."
Ah Shan said hesitantly.
"Fugitive?"
"What's the meaning?"
Zhang Bao was a little surprised.
