Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 149 Killing Heart

South of Xiangyang City, east of the Han River, there is a town called Hanyin.Here is the water and land terminal, which is extremely prosperous, and there used to be a post station.Since the Jin army broke through Xiangyang last year, there were very few merchants, and it was deserted for a while.However, the Jin army quickly retreated after breaking through Xiangyang, and there was no military disaster here.As the number of people going south from the north increased, there were signs of a resurgence.

Hanyin Town is the hometown of Meng Haoran, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.But now, most of the relics have disappeared, and there is no trace of Meng Haoran left.

Not far from the town, beside the Han River, there is a large courtyard, which is the home of Du Chaoyuan, a big local family.

In the early morning of this day, a few people walked over waddlingly.After entering the courtyard, they saluted Du Chaoyuan together.

Du Chaoyuan said: "Today I killed a pig and two geese, and prepared three jars of wine, just for you brothers. Sit inside quickly, drink tea and gossip. After a while, the meat will be cooked, and we will be happy together!"

Everyone thanked them and went to a nearby grass pavilion together.There were already three people sitting inside, and they bowed their hands in salute.

The sun rose high, and two more people came and sat together in the grass pavilion.Du Chaoyuan ordered the door to be closed and came to the Caoting.He bowed his hands to everyone and said: "Today I have prepared some wine and meat, please brothers. Don't dislike the simple, you must have a good time!"

Everyone said they didn't dare, and asked Du Chaoyuan to sit down.

Du Chaoyuan took his seat.Looking at the crowd, he said: "I originally invited Wu Shun, Cao Ying, and Qiu Pengshu today, but they didn't come. I think they thought I was different from the past, and they were a bit disgusted."

A stout man wearing a lotus leaf scarf said loudly: "Those three people are blind and cowardly, why don't they do anything!"

Du Chaoyuan said: "You can't say that. In Hanyin, let's make a fortune together. It's not good if anyone is missing now. However, it's fine if the three of them don't come. As long as we make a fortune, they don't want to be greedy!"

Everyone cheered and said yes.Noisy, noisy, gossip.

After a while, the meat was cooked and served.Du Chaoyuan opened the wine jar and filled everyone with wine.

Holding up the wine bowl, Du Chaoyuan said: "Our brothers are of the same heart, there is no reason why things cannot be done! Let's drink this bowl of wine and discuss things!"

Everyone applauded.They raised their wine bowls together, raised their heads and drank in one gulp.

Put down the wine bowls, and everyone ate their meat.After drinking two more bowls, the spirit of alcohol came up.

Du Chaoyuan then said: "Ever since a man called Yang Jin came to Ruzhou last winter, and the prefect abandoned the city, our life has been getting worse day by day. The new Wang Guan is a man who doesn't know the sufferings of the people. Not long after arriving in Xiangyang, Then all kinds of miscellaneous taxes in the past were changed, and only the people who cultivated the land were allowed to pay food. How can this work? The government can’t collect money, so how can it send money to the officers and soldiers? This is absolutely impossible!”

The burly man who spoke earlier said: "Forget it, some people who cultivate the land have trouble with the government. What's more terrible is that the current commercial tax collection method is different from the previous one, and we don't need our teeth to take the lead. This Wouldn't it cut off our way of life?"

This man's name is Yu Jiang, he is Yuyazi on the Han River, and he is in charge of the fishing market in Hanyin Town.There is not only the Han River here, but there are many lakes around it, and a lot of fish and shrimp are produced.As Yuyazi, Yu Jiang is in charge of the wealth and lives of many fishermen around him.After Wang Xiaolie arrived, he transferred many people from Ruzhou and ordered the cancellation of the guild.Not only Yuya, but all kinds of teethers have basically lost their jobs.

Du Chaoyuan sighed: "It's not just you, who here today has no job? This king observes that when he first arrived, he made such a scene, and he didn't care about us people, how can he do it? If this continues, it's not just us, In the entire Xiangyang Prefecture, there are countless people who cannot support their families! You see, how can I support such a large family business?"

Everyone said yes.

Du Chaoyuan turned out to be the leader here, with great power.Usually, if there is any major event in the town, even the prison town depends on Du Chaoyuan's face.Hanyin is on the commercial road, and there are many merchants, so I don't know how much they charge a year.

The so-called "leading the head" is another name familiar to later generations, which is somewhat similar to the taxpayer.For a wharf, a ferry, or a less important commercial route, or even a grass market, the government sets a tax amount, and the leader collects the tax.The collection is less, and the tax amount is not enough, so I will take the lead and pay it myself.If you collect too much, the tax amount is the first income.

Is it an ordinary person who can stop living in one place so that merchants dare not evade taxes?Just like Du Chaoyuan, his five sons, plus dozens of dealers, are very powerful in the local area.No matter who goes to Xiangyang to be an official, how dare you underestimate him?
But Wang Xiaolie was different, when he arrived in Xiangyang, the first thing he took care of was Du Chaoyuan and others.All blocking and taking the lead will be cancelled, and the new officials will collect taxes.The tax types are reduced to the extreme, even for businessmen, there are only two or three types.

Du Chaoyuan no longer has the job of taking the lead, so he has no way to get money. How can such a big family support themselves?After months of holding back, I finally couldn't bear it anymore.If he didn't strike back, Wang Xiaolie would lose the family fortune he had accumulated all his life.

Pan Hong next to him is in his fifties, with a thin body, and he is the Yatou of the local goose and duck market in Hanyin.Hearing Du Chaoyuan's words, he sighed: "Now the market sells geese and ducks, and I am not allowed to control them. The price has risen a lot in more than a month. If this continues, the common people can't afford it. I am not as big as Du Yuanwai." Family business, but the common people can't afford geese and ducks, so how can we make it?"

Everyone nodded one after another, each telling their hard work.

Those who arrived today, Du Chaoyuan, Meng Cang, and Shen Junming were all stopped, but they took care of different places.Yu Jiang, Pan Hong, Chen Yizhong, Li Qian and Meng Panshi are professionals in various industries.Usually, apart from Jianzhen, these people are the leading figures in Hanyin Town.When Wang Xiaolie came, these people lost their previous jobs and had no way to get money, and they all gritted their teeth with hatred.

After drinking a bowl of wine, Li Qian slammed the bowl on the table.Said: "For us people, many ministries have been handed down from generation to generation. To put it bluntly, several people's families have been doing this job longer than the Song Dynasty! This king observed that he took away our food and clothing by relying on his soldiers. How can we bear it! Brothers, if we have no other way, it will definitely make Wang Guan even more unscrupulous. We must find a way to let him know how powerful it is!"

Meng Cang sighed: "Two young people came from Ruzhou. Now they are in charge of the town. I don't know how crazy they are! Now all affairs are under their control. Whoever wants to do business will do business, and if they pay more taxes, they will pay more." Taxes, the previous prison towns did not have such great power!"

Shen Junming said: "Is there any way? They have a group of scoundrels around, who dare not listen to them? Those of us who are used to doing things, put them aside instead of asking."

A few chattered, telling their dissatisfaction with the new policy.

Du Chaoyuan just listened silently, thinking about things while drinking.

After about half an hour, most of the wine and meat went away, everyone was drunk and their words became more unscrupulous.

After drinking a bowl of wine, Yu Jiang said loudly: "Since that's the case, we might as well go into the town and kill those two people from Ruzhou! Let's see how many people Wang Guan can send from Ruzhou to Xiangyang! He sent one, Let's kill one! Send a pair, kill a pair!"

Speaking of killing, the rest of the people couldn't help but shut up and looked at Yu Jiang in unison.

Yu Jiang said angrily: "Zhen Niang, don't we have few lawsuits about human lives in our hands? How difficult is it to kill two people!"

Du Chaoyuan, who had been silent all this time, said slowly: "Killing people is not a trivial matter, we have to think about it in the long term. In Hanyin Town, two people are really nothing to us. However, if Wang Guan takes this matter seriously, it will be difficult to handle. "

(End of this chapter)