Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 118 Zhao Jianzhi

He Liu has a strong intuition: the new Huerbaatuo tax collector should be Zhao Jianzhi, the governor of Datong who "self-immolated and died for the country".

He Liu asked Huang Jingui, "Brother Huang, can we ordinary small businessmen meet that tax collector?"

Huang Jingui thought for a while, and replied: "Our business tax will be handed over to Dalu Huachi, who is under the tax collector. Dalu Huachi's official position is similar to that of our seventh-rank and eighth-rank sesame officials in Ming Dynasty. If you feel that Dalu Huachi’s tax collection is unfair, you can go to the tax collector’s account to sue. Then you can see the tax collector himself!”

Fu Hanling asked from the side: "The tax collector's tent? Could it be that the tax collector slept with the horse?"

Huang Jingui shook his head: "The horse tent is the name of the Tatars. The Great Khan Qinzhang refers to the court of the Tatars. The horse tent probably means the yamen on our side."

He Liu raised his wine glass: "Brother Huang. We are new to the grassland to do business. I hope you can give us some pointers."

After He Liu finished drinking, he stuffed a 20 tael silver key into Huang Jingui's cuff.

Huang Jingui is a businessman who can't afford to lose money.After getting He Liu's money, he immediately patted his chest: "Don't worry, brother, if there is anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

In the next afternoon, under Huang Jingui's guidance, He Liu bought hundreds of sheepskins.

Fu Hanling led several people to load the sheepskin into the car.Old Hu walked up to He Liu, lowered his voice and said, "See? Huang Jingui was talking to the Tatars who sold us sheepskins. There must be something tricky between them. Maybe you have been cheated of a lot of money!" "

When He Liu arrived, he didn't take it seriously: "As the saying goes: A fellow villager pits a fellow villager with tears in his eyes. This is also human nature. My Mrs. Xu Xian has money in her hands, and I am not short of these hundreds of taels of silver."

Old Hu laughed softly: "You spent the money of your third brother Jin who 'died of a sudden illness', you are extravagant."

In the evening, Daruhuachi of the Tatars came to the fur market.Several soldiers under him moved a table.All the Ming businessmen who bought furs in Bator must go to him to record accounts and pay taxes.After paying the tax, he will issue a "leather road certificate".This "leather road proof" is similar to Daming's "Yanyin".Without this piece of paper, Bator would be detained by patrolling Tatar rangers as soon as the goods were delivered.

There was a long queue in front of Dalu Huachi's table.It took more than half an hour of effort to hit He Liu.

The fat Dalu Huachi often dealt with Ming businessmen, and he could speak Chinese fluently.

"How many sheepskins?" Dalu Huachi asked.

He Liu replied, "Five hundred."

Daluhua Equator: "There are 150 pieces of high-quality sheepskin, and you need to pay [-] taels of tax."

He Liu pretended to be surprised and said, "I only spent 400 taels for the sheepskin. How come I have to pay 150 taels for the tax?"

Dalu Huachi stared, and several of his subordinates grabbed their whips tightly.

Huang Jingui, who was behind him, whispered in He Liu's ear, "brother, a good man doesn't suffer in front of him. This is the territory of the Tatars! The Tatars kill us Han people, just like killing a chicken and a sheep. People are under the eaves , I have to bow my head!"

He Liu remained silent, and directly stuffed two golden melon seeds into Dalu Huachi's hand.

Dalu Huachi looked at the golden melon seeds in his hand and was puzzled. He asked He Liu: "Hey, Han people, your two pieces of gold are worth 200 taels of silver, right? The fur tax is only 150 taels of silver? Even if I exempt all your fur tax money, you will have to pay."

He Liu smiled: "My lord, I just think that the fur tax that the tax collector is suddenly collecting is a bit high! I want to ask you to take me to meet him. I want to plead with him on behalf of our businessmen from the Ming Kingdom, please He lowered some fur taxes."

Daluhuachi weighed the two pieces of gold in his hand and said, "Okay. I'll take you to the horse tent to meet the tax collector! You are lucky. If the previous tax collector, Mr. Muhama, heard someone request To lower the tax on fur goods, he will definitely have your head cut off and hung on the flagpole in the center of the market. The current tax collector, Mr. Zhe Liewu, is a Han Chinese. He will not cut off the heads of Han people at every turn.”

Dalu Huachi led He Liu to the east of Bator Bazaar.Behind He Liu, followed by two "buddy" - Lao Hu and Fu Hanling.

After burning incense for a while, the three of them entered the tax collector's tent.

In the middle of the horse tent, sat a bearded man in his fifties.That person is "Zhe Liewu", the tax collector of Bator.

He Liu's heart skipped a beat - Fu Hanling had described Zhao Jianzhi's appearance to He Liu before: he was in his fifties, with a beautiful beard.

Zhe Liewu was looking down at a book.

Taking advantage of Dalu Huachi and Zhe Liewu's inattention, He Liu turned to look at Fu Hanling.

Fu Hanling nodded towards him, which meant: "Zhe Liewu" is the former governor of Datong——Zhao Jianzhi.

Dalu Huachi whispered a few words in front of Zhao Jianzhi.Zhao Jianzhi raised his head and asked He Liu: "Do you think the fur tax system is unreasonable?"

He Liu said casually: "Well, the villain thinks that the tax system of collecting one every three times is too high. We didn't make a profit. The tax collector can read poetry and books. You should know the truth that exhausting the river and fishing is not a long-term solution. I think If the Great Khan wants to levy more tax money, he should implement a leather tax system of levying one for every five. In this way, the profits of our merchants in the Ming Dynasty will be higher, and more people will come to the grassland to do business. You can do business for everyone. Khan collects more taxes than they do now."

Zhao Jianzhi smiled: "What you said is very reasonable. But it is the Great Khan who makes the tax system, not me, the tax collector. I will report to the Great Khan. Alright, let's go .”

After Zhao Jianzhi finished speaking, his eyes fixed on the book in his hand again.

He Liu, Lao Hu, and Fu Hanling went out of the big tent.

Fu Hanling said to He Liu in a low voice: "That tax collector is Governor Zhao of Zhao Jian! It's unmistakable!"

He Liu laughed: "As General Feng said that day, Zhao Jianzhi is a 'dead escape'. Oh, but no one would have thought that he would actually come to the territory of the Tatars and become an official of the Tatars! "

Altan Khan is the most farsighted Khan among the Khans of various tribes in Mongolia since Kublai Khan.He appointed a large number of Han people as officials.Zhao Jianzhi came to the grassland after the defeat of Datong.Altan Khan felt that he had been a great official in the frontiers of the Ming Dynasty, so he appointed him as "Tax Collector of Suerba Tuo Market".

Originally, one of the Zhao slips heard the word "market" and felt that this official was like the head of the village and the township of the Ming Dynasty.It was Altan Khan who deliberately humiliated him.But in order to save his life, he had no choice but to agree with me.

Later, after an explanation from Zuo Pingzhang, a Han Chinese in the Great Khan’s tent, he realized that the Bator Bazaar was the largest trading market in Tatars.And the tax collector here has always been the fattest official position in the entire Tatar - almost equivalent to the Lianghuai salt transport envoy of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhao Jianzhi was so grateful to me in his heart.He made up his mind to take good care of the precious land of Huerba Tuo for the "Wise Great Khan".

(End of this chapter)