Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 14 Greed corrupts the seal, a golden wedding gown (Please continue reading)
Only death and taxes are inevitable.

In order to collect fishing taxes from fishermen and boatmen, the Great Zhao Dynasty established special tax collection agencies called "Du Shui Si" along the banks of major inland lakes and rivers.

Controlling the source of fish catches is equivalent to controlling the source of tax revenue.

However, with the Great Zhao Mantra banning mountains and seas, the coastal water management offices and coastal garrisons gradually disappeared, so it was quite unexpected to see them in Yuegang.

Looking into the depths of Moon Harbor, Wang Cheng could still see a five-story octagonal building in the center with a Five Peaks Flag depicting five mountain peaks hanging on it.

His worst fears have not yet come true.

"There is no government-like organization in Yuegang. Instead, eight ship captains are elected by various maritime merchant forces to exercise self-governance, with Wufengqi, the leader of the maritime merchant alliance, acting as the person in charge."

Even dynamic social organizations know that only after conquering a territory can they shamelessly collect protection money.

If the major armed maritime merchant groups hadn't been in turmoil, the Zhao Dynasty's naval forces, which were practically rotten to the core, would have had no chance of taking Yuegang.

The fact that the Water Conservancy Bureau has appeared here means that the twenty-four generals guarding this place are probably already preoccupied with their own affairs, or at least have lost ground in the power struggle.

It seems that, without the father's restraint, the split between the trade faction and the Five Peaks Banner has begun.

Wang Cheng was a participant in this upheaval, possessed the most intelligence, and had the clearest understanding of the situation. Naturally, he had a more critical eye on this group of "tax officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau" who had inexplicably emerged.

We decided to wait and see for the time being, and first find out what they were really up to.

If things don't work out, his previous plans will likely have to be completely revised, which is something he doesn't want to see.

When Wang Cheng led his fishing gang onto the pier, a group of tax collectors had already tallied the number of people on the fishing boats ahead and the taxes to be paid.

"Please, Your Honor, have mercy on this humble person! If we pay such a large sum of money all at once, our whole family won't survive this winter!"

A group of fishermen knelt on the ground, wailing and begging for mercy, but were kicked away by Xue Da, a particularly burly man wielding a stick.

"Get out of here! If you dare to shortchange me even a single copper coin or a dried fish, I'll smash your bones to pieces."

Although the head tax collector also regarded fishermen and boatmen as worthless, he still disliked this intimidating style. Feeling embarrassed in front of so many people, he reprimanded him:

"Xue Da, put away your tyrannical attitude as a fishing tyrant."

"Since you have joined my master's ranks, you represent his reputation. If you jeopardize important matters of state, no one will forgive you."

He then turned to the group of fishermen and said in a menacing tone:

"We, the Waterways Bureau, are ordered to collect taxes, and not a single copper coin can be shortchanged. Do you intend to deceive the Emperor and rebel?"

Without harsh words or a stern expression, his intimidating power far surpassed that of the brute. The group of fishermen dared not utter another word and retreated to the side as if they had lost their parents.

This is the supreme imperial power!

As long as there is no change of dynasty, no official position can compare to the ruler of the state.

Xue Da, who had previously been fierce towards the fishermen, now wore a beaming smile and bowed and scraped before the tax collector.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm not used to it yet since I just started working today. I'll definitely pay attention in the future."

This guy is really a fishing tyrant. I don't know how he managed to put on a uniform and infiltrate the Water Conservancy Bureau.

At that moment, Wang Cheng unexpectedly heard the Zhang brothers behind him making a series of grinding, gritting sounds:

"Xue Da! That bastard actually came back with the Water Conservancy Bureau?"

He turned back in confusion and asked in a low voice:
"What's wrong? Do you know this fishing tyrant?"

Zhang Wu glanced at the large number of tax collectors around him, his voice low with grief and indignation:
"It's more than just knowing him; if it weren't for this scumbag, this traitor, my father wouldn't have died so young."

Zhang Wen, the younger brother, was better at organizing his thoughts and quickly explained the situation to Wang Cheng.

It turns out that this fishing tyrant Xue Da was also a Tanka boatman, but he joined a gang on land early on. He used his familiarity with the Tanka people to become a fishing tyrant and then bullied his former kin.

Although the Tanka people live on boats, the resources they obtain from the sea are not enough to fully meet their daily needs.

In order to exchange their catch for daily necessities, the Tanka people had no choice but to move closer to some coastal ports. Even if they could avoid the local water authorities, they could not escape the fishing tyrants.

Xue Da's behavior could only be described as despicable, much like the opposition between the "trade faction" and the "pirate faction".

But four years ago, their father, Zhang Lu, accidentally retrieved a box with exquisite carvings from the vast ocean.

Xue Da happened to discover them, and in the end, not only was the box taken away, but Xue Da, who was skilled in the Yaksha staff technique, also beat them severely.

If the Zhang family had money, there might have been some hope of finding a local official (a doctor) to treat their injuries, but fishermen's livelihoods depended on their livelihoods, so they didn't have much savings.

With a large family to support, Zhang Lu had no choice but to continue fishing despite his illness, which eventually led to chronic health problems.

Knowing he might not make it, he desperately saved up for a boat for his two sons over the past three years. After the "Zhang Fushun" was successfully launched, adding another member to the Zhang family, he himself died before he was even forty years old.

Four years ago, the older brother Zhang Wu was only fifteen years old, and the younger brother Zhang Wencai was only thirteen.

Four years have passed, and those who are not familiar with them have long forgotten them. Xue Da obviously did not recognize them, but they recognized their enemy, who had not changed much, at a glance.

"After he stole that box, he disappeared from Moon Harbor. We inquired for a long time but couldn't find his whereabouts."

"Now that we meet again, it turns out it has already allied itself with the Water Conservancy Bureau. It will be much harder for us to take revenge now."

Wang Cheng patted the Zhang brothers on the shoulder, telling them not to reveal any flaws, and then used [Rare Goods for Hoarding] to glance at Xue Da.

【Rare Goods: Xue Da, 31 years old, a boatman from the Tanka people, of low social status in the Great Zhao Dynasty.

Greed for wealth and a bad destiny:
If the year, month, day, and hour pillars use the Resource star as the favorable element, it is inauspicious if the Resource star is clashed or restrained by the Wealth star in the pillars!
This person is extremely sensitive to money and possessions, excels at smuggling and finding lost items, and has a much higher chance of encountering extraordinary events than ordinary people.

However, if a person encounters this fate, they will inevitably suffer one or two of the following: first, leave their hometown; second, have an unstable job; third, have difficulty completing their studies; fourth, suffer misfortune due to money; fifth, lose their mother early; sixth, be physically weak and prone to illness; seventh, move frequently; eighth, be superficial and lack real knowledge; and ninth, have discord with their mother-in-law.

When this fate is encountered, it often indicates misfortune, such as losing one's job, being forced into business, or even losing one's life due to wealth. People often gain wealth but find it difficult to keep it, hence the name "Golden Wedding Dress Fate".

Official rank: None (Mortal, Mastery of the Yaksha Staff)
Obsession: He has pledged allegiance to a local official in Minzhou, vowing to assist the new master in seizing control of Yuegang and gaining promotion and wealth.

Value: Negative three thousand incense and offering fees (His own lifespan is worthless, but his net worth may be considerable)

This was the first time Wang Cheng had ever seen a negative value for goods.

"This person possesses the 'greedy for wealth and corrupt character,' betrays the Tanka people, harms his own kind, and even aids and abets evildoers."

It's not a rare commodity at all; on the contrary, it's a scourge!
Only when the distance is close and the relationship is intimate will the assessment of a rare commodity be more accurate. A cursory glance will not reveal what Xue Da actually took from the Zhang family back then.

Based on the Zhang brothers' description, it is very likely the kind of treasure I suspected.

Especially when he saw the description of "greed ruining one's destiny", he immediately sentenced Xue Da to death in his mind.

"This wedding dress is no good! We must avenge the Zhang family!"

In the blink of an eye, two tax collectors accompanied the tax officers to the [Zhang Fushun Firm] and began to make calculations using the ledgers.

After scrutinizing the group of distinctive Tanka people from head to toe, he said coldly:
"According to the tax laws of the dynasty, the poll tax for the Tanka people was 2.85 dou of rice per month, which amounted to 3.42 shi (about 410 catties) per year, equivalent to 2.7 liang of silver. After three years of supplementation, it would be 8.1 liang of silver."

Wang Cheng couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this.

No wonder the group of fishermen in front looked like they had lost their parents.

It is said that ordinary people live hand to mouth, and self-cultivating farmers may go bankrupt and become tenant farmers if they are not careful when they encounter natural disasters or man-made disasters. The corvée labor can easily cause wives and children to be separated and families to be destroyed.

But this is far from the bottom line for people at the bottom.

The fishermen's poll tax was twice that of ordinary people, making being a fisherman in the Zhao Dynasty incredibly unlucky.

The ship, along with the Zhang brothers, carried a total of thirteen Tanka people. The total amount of fishermen's tax paid over the three years was 105.3 taels.

You have to understand that in those days, a relatively wealthy self-employed farmer's average annual income was only 18 taels of silver. To come up with over a hundred taels of silver in one go, even selling their entire estate wouldn't be enough.

Think this is the end?
Naive! The poll tax was collected on behalf of the imperial court; local governments also collected additional taxes such as boat tax and water transport tax.

The tax collector glanced at the "Zhang Fushun" business and added another entry to the ledger:
"The large boat weighs 4 taels, and the small boat weighs 2 taels."

Your fishing boat is a large vessel, so you'll need to pay an additional 4 taels of silver, bringing the total to 109 taels and 3 mace.

But it's not over yet.

Xue Da had already leaped onto the deck of the [Zhang Fushun] in one stride, sniffing the air with his large nose:

"In addition to the annual silver tax, a tax of one-tenth of the catch must also be paid each time the fish are brought ashore."

"You've had quite a catch this time, with some dried fish and a lot of rare fresh fish."

At this moment, Zhang Wu suddenly realized something, his expression changed, and he exclaimed in a low voice:

"Oh no! Scholar, the one we just caught..."

By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

Xue Da had already lifted the lid of the wooden bucket and exclaimed in surprise:
"Hahaha, my lords, look what I found! On our first day of collecting taxes, we received a shipment of 100,000 precious seafood!"

"We're rich! We're rich!"

(End of this chapter)