Great Warriors of Sui and Tang Dynasties

Chapter 89 The Lion's Big Opening

"I'm also willing to help the envoy and take over the vacant headhunting position. But I really don't have time now. Captain Jia found me and asked me to help him lead this township regiment. There is no way. You I know, Captain Jia helped me a lot last time, and my brothers thanked him for helping to rescue the den of thieves, don’t you think so!”

In the barracks, Luo Cheng offered tea to Zhang Yichen, and said helplessly.

"It doesn't affect your coming to the county to take over the position of chief catcher if you become the captain of the township soldier!" Zhang Yichen picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, but found that there was only some tea in the teacup, neither ginger nor garlic. Orange peel, no salt and chopped green onion, felt tasteless after a while, so I put it down again.

"The conditions here are a bit rough."

"It's already very good. I have to thank Captain Jia for finding such a good place to make a barracks for us. I also have to thank the county for its strong support. Otherwise, this township corps would have neither barracks nor soldiers."

Zhang Yichen shook his head.

"Shicheng, I won't say too many superficially polite words. What about you, you can be considered as a simple person from the common people. After all, I have been kind to you, right?"

"Of course, if it wasn't for the envoy, I would be just a farmer in the countryside now."

"Shicheng, the current situation is not very good. There may be a big war next year, maybe the next year at the latest, but the task before the war is also very heavy. The higher authorities are pressing for tax collection. Now I have to make up for it. In addition, the task of class service sent from above is getting heavier and heavier, and many people will have to be recruited to go out to serve. In addition..."

County magistrate Zhang is on fire one after another. As a county magistrate, his task is also very heavy.It is my duty to collect taxes, but I have to pay back all the outstanding debts over the years.In addition, with the imminent war, there will be additional collections. Not only the wealthy landlords will have to collect a large amount of war donations, but even ordinary people will have to pay more.

The tax burden is heavy, which has led to many evaders, and some people even resist taxes and laws, and some simply go up the mountain to become bandits.Changbai Mountain is on the edge of their Zhangqiu County, not only fugitives from Zhangqiu went to the mountain, but also fugitives from many nearby counties also ran there.

Those who fled into the mountains wanted to live, and some would reclaim wasteland and farm by themselves, but more people chose to be bandits, so they often went down the mountain to rob.

In order to maintain law and order, the county had to increase the number of yamen servants and helpers. These increased manpower, money and food expenses had to be raised by the county itself. If the county didn't allocate funds from above, it could only pass on the expenses to the people.

This is a vicious circle.

The heavier the people's taxes, the more they fled, the more bandits, and the worse the law and order.

If the law and order is poor, the government will have to send more servants and manpower, and the expenditure will increase, which can only be apportioned to the common people.

"The people like Fan Hu in the past can no longer adapt to the current situation, and these people have been in the Yamen for many years and have a bad reputation. Letting them stay will only make the situation more tense. What I need now is more capable people. , I am very optimistic about you."

"It's just that I'm young and have no qualifications, so it's hard for me to be a headhunter. No one in the third class of Yazhong will convince me." Luo Cheng said.

"How do you want to?"

Zhang Yichen is also a smart person, and he understood many things after talking with him.

"If Shi Jun really trusts me and is willing to use me, then I will boldly make a few requests."

"Just say it!"

"First of all, if I am a head arrester, then I hope that all three classes of yamen servants will be disbanded."

"All resigned?" Zhang Yichen didn't expect Luo Cheng to be so demanding.

"As the envoy said, the group of people in the county government are both incompetent and greedy. They have caused the people to have deep resentment against them during the years they have been here. Now they continue to keep them. Under the current situation , I am afraid that it will easily lead to deeper conflicts between the government and the people. Moreover, they are indeed incompetent, and it is useless to keep them."

"If Shijun dismisses them all at this time, and even catches a few with bad reputations for public trial and liquidation, then the resentment of many people can be calmed down immediately, and the reputation of the monarch can also rise rapidly. It will also be of great help.”

Zhang Yichen frowned, "If it's fully opened, will it be too big?"

Although there are only thirty yamen servants in the third class, there are actually more than three hundred yamen servants and their helpers in Zhangqiu County.After all, a county is so big, with a population of tens of thousands of households, it all depends on these people to maintain it.

"Fire them all, fire them all, so you don't have to worry about the county government being unable to maintain it, I can bring the township regiment over."

There are 230 people in the township regiment. Luo Cheng can put up two signs with one team at any time. At that time, the people will still be the same group of people, but they will be both township soldiers and yamen servants.

"Can this work?"

"Of course it can be done. If you are worried, you can fire people and ask them to take a new assessment. As long as there are not too many bad deeds, and you are willing to reform and work diligently, you can still do things again." Invited to check it out."

Zhang Yichen smiled and stopped the staff next to him who wanted to speak.

"If I agree to your request, have you thought about how to improve the current situation in the county?"

Luo Cheng replied, "As far as I know, the county government is now facing several urgent matters. The first is tax collection, including the annual regular tax, and the extra levy when the war is coming, as well as tax collection for previous years. Paying the outstanding debts is the most important thing, but now the big households in the county are generally resisting, refusing to pay under all kinds of excuses, which makes the county government very passive."

"The second urgent matter is that more and more refugees are pouring into Changbai Mountain, and some of them have become desperate bandits, seriously threatening our Zhangqiu County."

Tax collection and bandit suppression, these are the two troublesome things that Zhang Yichen urgently needs to solve.

"Then what can you do?"

"I think we can suppress the bandits first, and then collect taxes?"

"Why?"

"Of course it is to scare chickens and monkeys. If one or two big households can find evidence of collusion with thieves and bandits secretly, then the stolen goods will be captured at the same time, and the effect will be even better."

"But it's not easy to suppress the bandits. I asked Captain Jia several times to send county soldiers to suppress the bandits, but he refused to agree to send troops on the grounds that the new recruits from the county had not completed their training. "

"My lord, to suppress bandits, it is not necessary to suppress many bandits. The key is that we have to let the people know that we have suppressed bandits. Let's see."

Zhang Yichen had never had this kind of thinking.

He was secretly surprised that Luo Cheng had such a cruel heart at such a young age, but felt that this seemed to be a good idea.

"Let me think about it for a while. Is there any other request? Bring it up together?"

"There is also a small personal request. I hope the county magistrate can do a little favor. Next year, I will be recruited for dispatch. Don't send my family members."

"That's all?"

"Ah."

Zhang Yichen nodded, "I can agree to your three conditions right now. When will you come to the county government office?"

"From now on, I will be the head arrester in the county. The more than two hundred people outside are the servants and helpers of the third class of Zhangqiu County. We are always at the command of the envoy!" Luo Cheng stood up and said loudly.

Zhang Yichen nodded in satisfaction.

Although Luo Cheng's words felt a bit exaggerated, he believed in his heart that this kid could do it!After all, although he is young, he is worthy of credit for his achievements in capturing the blue-faced ghost and breaking the Zhishiro case.

(End of this chapter)