Empress Mi Benji

Chapter 222 Marketplace

The spring snow is melting, the war machine is starting up, and the entire land of Kyushu is in a tense atmosphere, filled with gunpowder smoke, and no place is exempt from this.

Even in the small towns on the northern border of Zhao State, the corvee levies, personnel movements, spring plowing and production, and busy economic activities make everything appear full of vitality.

There are roadside teahouses and resting places when people from the village go to the city to buy seeds. There are merchants traveling there, as well as talkers from the village who come to purchase seeds.

They were in twos and threes, chatting about their own topics. Mainly, the businessmen talked the most, while the others were just playing tricks.

"The Xia Kingdom now divides the fields when people go there. I saw that many people who had no land were allotted land. In some places, the land tax was even exempted for two years."

The businessman exclaimed, enjoying the feeling of support and attention from the people around him. His words also attracted people's attention, and many people were yearning for it.

"It's nothing more than deceiving people. The land in the Xia Kingdom is not as fertile as our Zhao Kingdom. If people come here, they can't even support themselves. How can they live without renting the land?"

A basin of cold water was poured on everyone's heads. The one who spoke was a young man dressed as a knight-errant, who seemed to be very dissatisfied with Xia Guo.

The businessman was a little unconvinced and said to the ranger: "People pay taxes according to the amount of land. How can they not support themselves? If you have less land, you will pay less tax, and you don't pay poll tax, unless you are a lazy person."

"Wait a minute, if you don't have land, don't you need to raise taxes?" Someone in the audience exclaimed, and the response was quick. It was a bamboo maker selling dustpans.

"Of course you don't have to pay it. The head tax is already included in the land. Allocating land to people is also so that they can afford to pay the tax. After all, if you don't farm, where will the tax come from? And the more land people have, the more they pay. The more taxes there are, the more those gentlemen will have to pay taxes."

The businessman smiled honestly, somewhat gloating about his misfortune. Seeing rich people being unlucky makes people happy. Others smiled unkindly.

"You have forgotten your business tax, and you are still tax-free?" You Xia sarcastically said, feeling unhappy that the merchant was praising the Xia Kingdom in this way.

"Pay it forward. Wherever it is not handed over, which country will not accept it? The matter of Xia Guo's extortion is gone. I bought the goods this time and I have to go back."

The businessman frankly admitted that the politics of Xia State were clearer. After the indicator assessment, many things were restrained. Moreover, the old order was changed into a new order, and the officials and soldiers were also changed, and they were also adapting to the new order.

"Let's talk about land. It's really divided. Where does the land come from, how much is divided, and what are the requirements?" The bamboo craftsman became more energetic. He ignored the two people's discussion of business taxes and urged the businessman to continue talking about land.

His words were also supported by others, because the land was closest to them, and some people shouted: "What are you talking about tax? Really divide the land, are there any other conditions?"

"Of course there is. It depends on the population. It doesn't apply to local standards. However, the land divided between husband and wife of a household is doubled. I heard King Xia say that the land should be reserved for the second generation to prevent them from being embarrassed. King Xia is really a good king. ah."

The businessman praised him, and the people around him nodded quickly. He not only divided the land, but also considered the next generation. He was indeed a good monarch.

"Haha, a treacherous guy who came to our Zhao country to make an alliance, but later returned to the country and refused to admit it. He just bought people's hearts with hypocrisy."

The knight said disdainfully that people from the Zhao country also share the same hatred of the enemy. Everyone has treachery, but if you speak out, you will be criticized.

"Buy people's hearts. Why don't other countries buy it? Can't they do it? That's land. If the output is a little lower, it's still land. And they don't pay a poll tax. How many countries can do it."

The businessman tit for tat, the businessman said truthfully, Zhao Guo has never seen allotment of land, think about the fertile and good land belongs to the noble master.

"I've coaxed you with small profits, and I can give you land, but this is mixed with the poll tax. You can't make much money even after a year of hard work."

The ranger was speechless, so he changed his perspective and asked this question. A group of people nodded. Isn't this an increase in taxes on landowners?

Being able to come to a teahouse to drink tea means that you still have some assets, and naturally you don't want to pay taxes for others.

"Compared with other taxes, they are higher than others. They only pay taxes once, and only to the court. How can it be like other places where one tax is levied and the people are half skinned."

The businessmen retorted, not naming Zhao Guo, but everyone was thinking about their own situation, paying taxes multiple times, and some renting land from some landlords.

"How much will you pay to the Yamen?" someone in the crowd asked. Thinking that others paid less taxes than themselves, they felt a little unsustainable.

"Ten draws are three or four, Tomita draws four, and Souta draws three, right? This includes the poll tax." The businessman took a deep breath and made a praising look.

People were disturbed after hearing this. It was already a lot, but compared with the taxes they paid, they knew which one was more worthy.

"The lies are misleading the public. Don't you think about it. The Xia Kingdom is now surrounded by enemies on all sides and will be destroyed sooner or later. What's the point of allocating the land? I have worked hard for several years to make wedding clothes for others."

The black spot cannot be found, the ranger said coldly.

"Brother, you must be from an aristocratic family that escaped from the Xia Kingdom. Why are you so hostile to the Xia Kingdom? I think the Xia Kingdom is quite good."

"You are still a spy of the Xia Kingdom, and you boasted that the Xia Kingdom was so good? It is far worse than our Zhao Kingdom next year." The ranger was also unconvinced, accusing the businessman of being sent by the enemy to disturb people's hearts.

"It's good in the first place. Think about it. Is it wrong to distribute land to the people? Is it wrong to pay the tax once to avoid officials having to deal with it many times? It can be deducted with money? The more land is collected, the more tax is collected. Is this method of taxation wrong? "

The businessman talks eloquently. These things, with a little common sense, will help the poor. The people are poor and not stupid.

Many people cheered and whistled. Seeing the ranger's expression darken, everyone wanted to laugh but did not dare to laugh.

The ranger took a deep breath, calmed down, and said to the businessman: "They have said that this kind of regime does not last long and is short-lived. If you don't believe it, let's wait and see. Without money, how can he support the country and train equipment? Without a big family, where will he come from? Talents govern the country.”

After talking about a series of difficulties, people's mood became low. They would feel sad if a divided country was gone.

"He's doing well. I was already going to war with Cheng Guo before I came here. If I win, I'll unify Jizhou. I don't see anything wrong with him. Only the big families who escaped hope that he will do well."

Not to be outdone, the merchant refuted the ranger with his own knowledge. The ranger photographed the money, shouted the check, picked up the baggage and left.

"Hahaha……"

As soon as he left, the atmosphere in the teahouse or tea shed became cheerful. Everyone knew that he could not argue and fled, and the merchants mingled with the people resting in the shed.

"Brother, let's talk about what other strange things the Xia Kingdom has. King Xia sounds quite wise."

The bamboo craftsman held the dustpan and asked with bright eyes, full of desire for knowledge. Others also pricked up their ears, wanting to understand the changes in the outside world.

"Why is King Xia wise? It's Queen Xia who is wise. Do you know Li Pingyuan?" The businessman also became interested.

"I know, just fight less and fight more, the last-ditch one?" The bamboo craftsman looked like he was remembering, and the more he thought about it, the more he understood.

"In the last battle, his opponent was Queen Xia's father, Siqin Shengjing, who defected to Youguo..."

It was said that Zhuang Xun's Yin Si rescued Si Qinmi, and then Si Qinmi used his ability to repay the favor.

"Nowadays, there is a rumor in the Xia Kingdom that there will be two days in the sky, and if the dragon and the phoenix appear, you can see the talent of Queen Xia." The businessman added, and the oath was originally the truth, so he was full of confidence.

"To communicate with ghosts and gods, whoever goes against him will be punished." The bamboo craftsman said fearfully, and others also felt terrible.

"Yes, that's why the man just didn't want the poor people to be kind to him. He will feel uncomfortable when the people are good. We'll find out when he dies." The businessman snorted and said unhappily.

"Don't argue with him. It's probably like what you said, brother. My home was confiscated by the King of Xia, so I'm so hostile to the King of Xia. Who in the right mind would hate the King of Xia? The Xia Kingdom, don't they provide food for the people? Tell me more." Let’s talk about the Xia Kingdom.” The bamboo craftsman looked curious, as if he had received some incredible knowledge.

"Speaking of eating, King Xia said that he wanted the people under his rule to be able to afford food and clothing. King Xia's first rule of Jiannan Road has been realized. As long as there are no big families in the middle, Oppression can be done, and King Xia also said that he doesn’t want to see hard-working people survive.”

The businessman looked around at the people in the tea shed sadly and sighed. These people must consider themselves hard-working. Most of these small tea sheds are people from the village, and they are considered to be slightly better at the bottom.

At this moment, silence is better than sound. Eat well and wear warm clothes. This is what the barbarians in the alien land say. I am a little envious of such a king.

Now some people have not yet done corvee service, and some are suffering from taxes.

"Encourage mulberry farming, plant cotton and linen extensively, and serve as soldiers. If you perform well, you can be a small official when you come back. The country will also send people to the countryside to teach people how to read. The country will specially train talented students without paying for the people's money. Xia The people of the country are very grateful to King Xia and Queen Xia, and write poems to praise them, but there are also disadvantages."

After boasting some of the benefits, the businessman's demeanor changed and he began to feel regretful. He hesitated to speak, unable to express.

"What's so bad about it?" This time someone rushed to answer. The businessman had already said so much, which completely whetted people's appetites.

"There are too many rebellions. The aristocratic families are rebelling because they can't get official positions. The Xia Kingdom does not look at family background but ability. Many people want to be high officials without ability. They also have to pay taxes. They have a lot of land, so He just wants to kill Xia Guo, who is benefiting the people, and he often colludes with foreign enemies to harass him, it’s so abominable.”

The businessman stirred up the emotions of these people, and everyone became a little angry. Everyone felt sympathy for the good people who were suffering.

"Such an environment is indeed unsafe. I don't recommend that you go there. When we do business, we tie our heads to our belts. If my mother hadn't been seriously ill, who would be willing to do such a thing."

The businessman advised, and then said to himself: "The place where the big families were killed is better and safer, and the Xia Kingdom has also proved that without the big families, the people will be happier, and there will be no exploitation by second-rate dealers."

"Haha, you are just a second-rate dealer, selling goods from Zhao to Xia." The bamboo craftsman laughed, and everyone laughed again.

"I am a second-rate dealer, but I have to pay for it with my life. Those big families make money while lying down. How can it be the same? What contribution do they make, whether it is using the army to defend the enemy, or opening up wasteland to save people in disaster years. They just own the land, and then they don't pay it back. If they don’t pay taxes, the state will give taxes to the people, and this is how the people pay taxes to them.”

The businessman said grumpily, and many people began to think thoughtfully. What the businessman said was so clear that it was a bit scary.

"Brother, be careful what you say, be careful what you say, and don't let those aristocratic families hear it. They know they won't let you go easily."

The bamboo craftsman quickly reminded the businessman, and the businessman also reacted. He said through the steps: "People from aristocratic families will come to a small teahouse like this. Even their dogs have to go to regular teahouses. How can they look down on poor people like us?" A place for people to stay.”

"It's better to be careful. Look at the ranger just now. Didn't he just come to the teahouse? Even though he was not well-dressed."

The bamboo craftsman said cautiously, just like everyone sitting and standing. They didn't dare to speak, but it didn't mean they didn't want to.

"That's right. I think I'm great just because I have a knife. I can't just drink tea here. I can also go to Cuiyunxuan. It's time for me to leave. If I talk too much, I can't change it. King Xia won't turn into Zhao. King, King Zhao will not become King of Xia, anyway, I have no hope."

After picking up his luggage, the merchant seemed to feel that he could not stay here for long, so he left with his luggage, leaving behind these people discussing Xia Kingdom in twos and threes.

After a while, the bamboo craftsman drank tea, picked up the dustpan and walked out. He walked out of the city, slowly deviated from the road and walked into the woods.

In the woods, the ranger and the merchant were already waiting for him. They opened the dry food in their backpacks and greeted the bamboo craftsman.

Yes, they are a group. They are the Jinyiwei established by Zhuang Xun. They are responsible for promoting Zhuang Xun's domestic policies and guiding the people's psychology.

Aiming at Zhao's weak northeast, Zhao's southwest is facing Jing Zheng, who has strong control and is difficult to attack.

This also provided a basis for Zhuang Xun to march into the army and reduce the people's will to resist. Moreover, these people did not lie, they were all truthful, without any false cover-up.

It is unrealistic to spread the disease in densely populated areas and from village to village. It can only spread in counties and eventually reach the ears of rural people.

Then they will reflect on themselves and think, the people are not stupid, they understand who is the real silver, it is not that they don't know who is exploiting them, they just can't do anything.

"Next time I want to pretend to be a good guy, I can't be the bad guy every time." The ranger handed the dough to the bamboo craftsman.

"Who told you to have such a good face? You look like a down-and-out young master. How can we, old farmers, act like that?"

The businessman said with a smile, holding up the tattered hat on his head.

“And there aren’t many more, there’s one or two counties left, just finish it and then come back and see how the spread is.”

The merchant was the leader and concluded while calming the ranger.

"Is this really useful? Will these people still rebel?"

The bamboo craftsman bit into the water-soaked flour cake, how effective such propaganda can be.

"I'm not sure, they are suffering too much."

　Recommend a book "After Going to the Sea, Meet the Witch Lady"

　　[Recommendation]: Western Fantasy Voyage + Travel Between Two Realms + Witch. If you like this genre, you can check it out.

　　Here is the introduction:
　　People are in the mysterious world and have already entered the sea when they open their eyes.

　　He was framed in the beginning, but was finally rescued. The captain was still a witch who was indifferent to life and committed murder.what to do?
　　Fortunately, my brother still has a golden finger!

　　An unknown jet-black ship sculpture took Ryan on a journey to the heavens.

　　[This shark is dying because it witnessed a very private tryst. If you save it, in return, it will take you to join it. 】

　　[This planet is dead and all life has been wiped out. It seems to be a good material for a long-distance warship? 】

　　-

　　My name is Freine, and I am the captain of the "Black Rose". On the surface, I am a fledgling female pirate, but in fact, I am the fifth princess of the Augustus Dynasty who has just escaped, and a newly awakened sea witch.

　　In order to avoid the pursuit of the "despicable people", I had to go to sea, take the treasure map inherited from my family, and go to the depths of the sea, trying to find the lost treasure and restore the dynasty!

　　On the way, I saved a drowning man.

　　The good news is that this guy is knowledgeable enough to be the navigator of the Black Rose.

　　The bad news is that this guy is so weird. Not only does he say some incomprehensible words from time to time, such as "Captain, what would it look like if the sun was used as a battleship?", "One Piece, come on!" "La" and so on, and every once in a while, he will bring back some weird things!

　　-

　　Welcome to the Age of Discovery!

　　


(End of this chapter)