Ming Zuo

The weather in July was unbearably hot.

The sun high above the zenith turned the earth into a baking pan.

Looking parallel to the distance, the air is constantly shaking, as if transpiring and misty.

The grass and trees are like the vegetables thrown on the baking tray, their branches and leaves have already drooped, and they are faintly browned.

Pan Xiaona braved the scorching heat and led the people into the village.

The farmer's old dog barked twice, then stuck out his tongue.

It was so hot that even the dogs lost their vigilance.

Besides, such a dilapidated village doesn't seem to be afraid of losing anything.

There is really nothing to lose.

However, the barking of the dog attracted the attention of the villagers.

An old man huddled in the shade of a tree struggled to stand up, he was a little surprised to see so many people.

"Are you going to stay overnight? We don't have much food here."

The old man was very scared and mistakenly thought that so many people were thieves who came to rob.

It seems that the big guy will not be able to survive. If he encounters a thief again, he will only die.

Pan Xiaona's secretary, Zhang Qijia, hurriedly said, "Master, this is our county magistrate Pan, who is here to discuss matters with you."

The old man was really surprised when he heard it.

Taking a closer look at Pan Xiaona, he saw that he was too young, and he was wearing bunt clothes.The exposed skin was tanned.

This appearance is not surprising to say that it is a young man rolling in the fields, but it is actually the county magistrate.

The old man was about to kneel and kowtow on the spot, but Pan Xiaona stopped him with quick eyesight and quick hands.

"Master, there are regulations now, no more kowtowing."

The old man was at a loss and stuttered.

"We... our poor mountain village, the magistrate has never been here. The big guys don't know how to be polite, don't blame the magistrate."

Seeing that the old man was a little frightened, Pan Xiaona comforted him kindly.

"You are an elder, we should come to visit as young ones. How dare you blame anyone? We can't afford to be you when you say that."

Seeing that the county magistrate was easy to talk to, the old man finally calmed down a bit.

"This thief is so hot, what's the matter with the old man coming to us?"

When he spoke, it was obvious that the old man looked very worried.

They are so poor and remote, and they have never been an official for hundreds of years.Whenever there is anything in the official family, it is enough to send a small official over.

Now that the magistrate came here in person, it must be a big deal.

I just don't know whether it will be a good thing or a disaster if it falls on them.
Pan Xiaona didn't know what the old man was thinking, and said truthfully: "I have something very important to discuss with you guys, please ask the old man to invite everyone in the village who can speak."

The old man didn't move, but asked a question.

"My lord, do you want to apportion taxes?"

Pan Xiaona was taken aback by the question, and asked back, "Isn't the tax in the countryside cancelled?"

Only then did the old man realize that he was wrong.

"That's what I said at the beginning, but for thousands of years, how can the farmers not pay taxes? We are all thinking, it won't be long before the tax collectors will come to the door. Could it be... from now on, there is really no need to pay taxes ?”

Pan Xiaona is serious and resolute.

"This is clearly stipulated by the government, and it will never change. If anyone dares to collect taxes from you in the future, you can come to the county government to complain to me, and I will make the decision for you."

The old man danced happily on the spot.

"Is there really no tax? This is great! The big guy finally has a way to live!"

Infected by him, Pan Xiaona also laughed.

"Besides not paying taxes, there are other good things. Call the big guy out."

The originally quiet small village soon became lively, and men from every household ran to the old locust tree at the head of the village one after another. There were hundreds of people in total.

Pan Xiaona took a closer look and found that the people here are really poor.

Many people don't have complete clothes, and just dangle a gown around their waist.If you're not careful, the thing between your legs can come out.

There were also a few men who obviously wore women's clothes, but they didn't cause any disturbance here, as if they were commonplace for big guys.

That old man, Shi Sandang, was the village head here, he was a bit shrewd, and he noticed Pan Xiaona's expression.

"A lot of people just wear clothes like that, and whoever wants to go out to do business can wear them. Those who don't have clothes can only hide at home, making the boss laugh."

Pan Xiaona waved his hand and raised his voice.

"Fellow folks, my name is Pan Xiaona, and I am the county magistrate of Gaoyou County. From now on, everyone can call me the county magistrate. You don't need to call me the county magistrate, and I am not a magistrate. I am here to be the county magistrate, and I am here to serve everyone. partner to serve."

They are all illiterate common people, and they seem to understand these words.However, Pan Xiaona's approachable attitude made the villagers a lot more peaceful.

"How many people are there in our village now? Is there enough land for farming at home?"

Speaking of this, none of the villagers smiled.

Shi Sandang wrinkled his old face and explained the situation for the big guy.

"The whole village has a total of one hundred acres of land. If it is allocated to the big guys, it's only a few cents per person. No matter how careful it is, the output is only one bite. How can there be enough to eat? This year has not been so bad. The seedlings in the fields are all wilted due to the rain. I’m afraid that in winter, people will starve to death again.”

Before the words fell, many people in the villagers began to cry.

Pan Xiaona seemed to be psychologically prepared for this situation, and his expression was still normal.

"There are too many people in our place and too little land. Some time ago, the land of several landlords was confiscated, but after dividing it, it is still not enough."

Immediately, many people knelt in front of him.

"My lord... the county magistrate, save us!"

"How's your day going?"

Pan Xiaona quickly asked people to help the big guys up, and only then did he reveal his purpose.

"The government knows the difficulties of the big guys, and has been trying to find a way for the big guys. Now there is a way out, but I don't know if you dare to make a breakthrough?"

Hearing that there was a way out, the villagers immediately froze their ears.

Pan Xiaona asked people to open the map and pointed to the location of Jilin Province.

"Look, guys, this place is thousands of miles away from us. If you want to go there, you can only take a boat. But there are no people there, and large tracts of land are all empty. You don't know, there If you grab a handful of the land, it will run out of oil. If you throw some seeds in the field, the harvest will be scary. Now the government has occupied that land, but there is a shortage of people to cultivate and plant it. If anyone is willing to immigrate there, the government will help you solve everything difficulty."

When the villagers knew their location on the map and where Jilin Province was, many of them retreated.

People are far from their hometowns, especially the Chinese, who have a deep hometown complex.

Even if life is very difficult here in my hometown, I may even starve to death.But it is still very difficult to keep them away from their homeland.

But at this moment, what Pan Xiaona said suddenly reversed the situation.