Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 207 Public Sentiment (Part Two)

"Everyone, come and see the latest government notice."

"General Pei has ordered that taxes will only be collected once a year from now on, and there will be no increase in taxes."

"This year, the land tax in Beiping County will be collected based on the size of the land, with only 30% collected..."

Upon hearing this, the throng of people erupted in commotion, and no one paid any attention to what the constable would say next.

This is great!
Only 30% of the land is taxed!

The harvest from a year's hard work will at least allow them to keep some of the grain. Their family won't starve. As for the promise of no tax increases, we don't know if it's true. But at least it's written in black and white, so it should have some effect.

General Pei is a great benefactor sent by Heaven to save them!

This was clearly not good news for the wealthy households. A dozen or so of these households owned about half of the fertile land in Beiping County, and when it came time to pay taxes, they only paid a portion per capita. The government then distributed the necessary taxes to ordinary people. Prefect Shen claimed to collect 50% of the taxes, but in practice, the actual amount collected was around 60%.

Now that General Pei has ordered taxes to be levied based on the amount of land owned, wealthy households with large tracts of fertile land will have to bleed themselves dry.

Several wealthy families, including the Yu and Li families, had their homes ransacked, and all their money and grain confiscated. They had to give up more than 70% of their wealth just to survive. They simply didn't have the confidence or courage to resist the Pei family army.

Fortunately, General Pei only took money and grain; he didn't want the mansion, shops, or land. After handing over 30% of this autumn's harvest, there's still 70% left!
The wealthy landowners gritted their teeth and paid 30% of their land tax.

Dong Dalang's abacus was spinning rapidly, and Wang Erhe meticulously counted and stored the grain according to Dong Dalang's calculations. Pei Qinghe watched coldly, remaining silent, exuding a powerful aura of intimidation.

When it was time for the government to collect land taxes from the people, Pei Qinghe went to the tax collection point early in the morning.

Pei Qinghe arrived, and Prefect Shen dared not refuse, standing beside her in his heavy official robes.

There were more than a dozen tax collectors, working in pairs. One of them collected the grain with a grain measure, while the other circled the names on the register and called out the names.

The constables, used to their tyranny, tried their best to suppress their ferocity and greed, forcing out dry smiles.

When the grain was being collected, a constable habitually kicked it, causing much of the grain in the grain bins to fall to the ground. According to custom, the grain on the ground could not be picked up, and the taxpayers had to make up the difference with tears in their eyes.

Pei Qinghe snorted coldly.

Without Pei Qinghe's command, Pei Yan stormed forward and kicked the constable to the ground. Pei Yan was tall and strong, and this kick used eight-tenths of her strength. The constable's leg was almost broken on the spot, and he clutched his leg and screamed in pain.

"Anyone who dares to kick the grain bin again will have their legs cut off." Pei Qinghe's eyes were filled with chilling intent, and the constables trembled as they listened: "Go and pick up all the grain on the ground."

Under the menacing gazes, the constables lowered their heads, put down their tasks, and knelt on the ground to pick up the grain.

The commoner whose grain measure had been kicked away went through a rollercoaster of emotions, from despair, anger, and sorrow to shock, and now to joy and excitement. Tears streamed down his face as he suddenly knelt down and kowtowed three times: "Thank you, General!"

Pei Qinghe stood up and stepped forward, reaching out to help the tearful people up. He said gently, "You have worked hard in the fields, and you pay 30% of your harvest. I, Pei Qinghe, will take your grain as military rations and raise the Pei family army, which will protect you in the future."

These words brought tears to the eyes of the people, who quickly knelt down, kowtowing and calling out to General Pei.

"Why didn't the general come sooner?" A young man from who-knows-where suddenly burst into tears: "If you had come two years earlier, my mother and sister wouldn't have been sold."

There wasn't enough food at home, so they had no choice but to sell their wives and daughters. Otherwise, the whole family would starve to death.

The cries struck a nerve with the people, and their sobs merged into one. Pei Qinghe sighed softly and said to the weeping boy, "You have ambition. Go and sign up to join the Pei family army. Practice martial arts diligently and protect the people of Beiping County."

The thin, sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy wiped away his tears and kowtowed again: "Thank you, General. I will go to the recruitment office to sign up in a few days."

Pei Yun and Gu Lian watched this unfold, both inwardly praising it.

He used one hand to intimidate the enemy, and the other hand to win over the hearts of the people.

Pei Qinghe has plenty of methods! They still have a lot to learn!

Whether General Pei was putting on an act or not was irrelevant to the common people. They were like cattle, their joys and sorrows, their lives and deaths, were of no concern to them. General Pei's willingness to win over the hearts of the people was enough for them!

The constables dared not kick the grain measure anymore, and the people, after paying their land tax, counted the remaining grain in their homes and were overjoyed. This was the year with the lowest land tax payment in the past five or six years.

The land tax was collected for five days, and Pei Qinghe stayed in charge for all five days without leaving for a moment.

All the harvested grain was sent to the military camp. Dong Dalang and Wang Erhe led the people to count, store, and record the grain, keeping them so busy that they hadn't slept for several days.

Pei Qinghe ignored these trivial matters and went to the recruit recruitment office to personally recruit and assess soldiers.

The thin, dark-skinned boy who had cried in public that day did indeed come to register. Accompanying him were seven or eight other boys of similar age, and two girls around fourteen or fifteen years old.

The Pei family army's assessment of female soldiers was much more lenient. Women who dared to take this step deserved to be looked at differently.

Pei Qinghe gently inquired about the names of the two girls.

The taller girl mustered her courage and answered, "Her name is Cui'er, and my name is Hehua. We are cousins."

“There are many brothers and sisters in my family, and we often go hungry. Last year, we couldn’t pay the land tax, so my father sold my older sister. If the general hadn’t come this year, I would have been the one sold. My eldest sister was sold to Jiangnan as a slave by the heartless Yu family. She will never come back.”

"I don't want to go to Jiangnan, nor do I want to be sold into a brothel. I want to be a female soldier and follow the general."

The shorter Cui'er's eyes also shone with admiration: "General, please accept us! From now on, we will fight and kill for you."

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow: "You two need to think this through. The Pei family army has strict discipline. You have to practice martial arts and read and write every day. There are monthly assessments. Once you join the Pei family army, you can't just leave. Otherwise, you'll be treated as a deserter."

"Dare to desert? You'll die." Pei Yan drew her long sword and brandished it. The gleaming blade, coupled with her chilling laugh, was enough to make even the most timid girl's legs go weak.

Lotus and Cui'er were clearly a little scared. They could barely stand, their voices trembling slightly: "We...we've thought it through."

"We will not desert!"

Pei Yan sheathed her sword and grinned at Pei Qinghe: "These two have some guts."

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly and said to Pei Yun, "Take them both in. Train them well in the future; they are both good soldiers."

Pei Yun smiled and nodded, then asked for the two girls' full names and recorded them in the recruit register.

(End of this chapter)