A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

Sun Dazhu's eyes lit up as he looked at the silver on the tray, and he looked at Chen Mo excitedly.

Before he arrived, he hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

Chen Mo remained calm, accepted the silver, and together with Sun Dazhu, thanked him, saying, "Thank you for the reward, General!"

Although the silver in front of him was not the two hundred taels mentioned earlier, one hundred taels was still enough for him and Sun Dazhu to split.

"Okay, that's settled then..."

Just as Zhao was about to dismiss them, the officer walked up to him and whispered a few words in his ear.

A moment later, Zhao Canjiang's expression changed slightly, and his gaze returned to Chen Mo.

"You were in town just now, saying that I, the general, killed the tiger?"

General Zhao asked with a serious expression.

"General, it is true that this happened, but I had no choice. The Wang family and other local gentry have always made things difficult for me in the village. This time they tried to steal the tiger, so I had to invoke your name."

Chen Mo was prepared and explained calmly.

"Moreover, the reason why we two were able to hunt and kill the tiger was thanks to the general's guidance yesterday. Logically speaking, the credit for hunting and killing the tiger should naturally belong to the general."

"Well, you know how to talk!"

Zhao, the military officer, burst into laughter.

He looked at Chen Mo, who remained composed and dignified, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

This young man in front of me is not only brave and resourceful, but also quite adaptable; he is a talent that can be recruited.

Moreover, Chen Mo claimed in front of everyone that he had personally hunted the tiger, which greatly benefited Zhao Canjiang's reputation.

The current failure to suppress bandits is precisely what we need to boost morale.

"What's your name?"

"I asked Zhao, the military officer."

"Reporting to the General, this humble citizen is Chen Mo, and this is my brother, Sun Dazhu."

Chen Mo responded calmly.

"You've presented this tiger to me, surely not just for the reward?"

Zhao, the military officer, seemed to have seen through Chen Mo's thoughts.

After hearing Chen Mo's boast yesterday, Lieutenant General Zhao secretly had someone investigate Chen Mo. He was relieved to learn that Chen Mo had no connection with the bandits in the north. However, Lieutenant General Zhao was still wary of Chen Mo's shrewdness.

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment before speaking, "This humble subject does indeed have a request, but I dare not trouble the general any further."

Since the other party knew what he was thinking, Chen Mo took the opportunity to say it.

But he also knew very well that he couldn't push his luck when dealing with someone of that status.

"Speak freely," said Zhao, the adjutant.

"General, my village has recently been harassed by the Wang family and other local gentry. They are using the pretext of government grain requisition to force me to hand over 300 catties of grain after the autumn harvest."

Chen Mo said, and couldn't help but sigh.

"I understand that the government troops need food and supplies to suppress the bandits, but I really can't provide so much grain. Moreover, many people in the village have already had their grain seeds taken away by the Wang family and are about to starve to death. I beg the general to do justice for the people."

He knew that the general in front of him was not an unreasonable person, and now he had a good opportunity to raise the issue and resolve it.

Upon hearing Chen Mo's words, Zhao Canjiang's expression changed.

Three hundred catties?

He gave those local gentry instructions, which were clearly to collect 100 catties of grain from each household. Unexpectedly, these local gentry dared to levy so much more on their own. It was obvious that they were ruthless and greedy.

General Zhao was furious, but after calming down, he was well aware that his army was new to the area and its foundation was not yet stable. They still needed the help of these local gentry, so he could not openly turn against them for the time being.

These days, it's only with the help of local powerful families that many troubles have been resolved.

With the banditry still raging, they can't afford to harm their own people.

Moreover, this is a year of great famine, and in poor places like Shannan, even if you have money, you can't buy much grain.

He had hundreds of elite troops under his command, as well as thousands of soldiers fighting bandits on the front lines, all of whom needed food to feed. The imperial court often cut military pay and rations, and it was only out of necessity to levy grain from the people.

Seeing that Zhao, the military officer, remained silent, Chen Mo felt a little uneasy, wondering how the other party would respond.

The atmosphere inside the tent suddenly became more somber.

The officers present knew their general's temper well, and although they wanted to reprimand Chen Mo for talking too much, they dared not say anything now.

"You mean, those local gentry are exploiting the people under the guise of my orders?"

After a moment of silence, General Zhao finally spoke.

"This humble citizen dares not make a definitive statement, but most people in the village cannot afford the requisitioned grain, and their land has long been acquired by those gentry at low prices, leaving them with no means of survival."

Chen Mo took the opportunity to speak again.

Lieutenant General Zhao stared intently at Chen Mo, his gaze quite serious, and said, "Since that's the case, then tell me, what do you want me to do?"

This question gave Chen Mo confidence.

Since General Zhao did not refuse outright but instead inquired about a solution, it suggests that there is still room for negotiation on this matter.

"General, in this famine year, the harvest in the fields is less than half of what it used to be. It's impossible for my family to scrape together three hundred catties of grain, let alone the other villagers. The government originally planned for each household to hand over two hundred catties, but after passing through the hands of the Wang family and their gentry, they might end up levying even more. In the end, it's the common people who will suffer."

Chen Mo's words struck a chord with General Zhao.

Seeing that General Zhao was deep in thought, Chen Mo continued boldly, "Why not let the villagers hand over the grain directly to the general, without going through those gentry? I implore the general to consider the people's plight and reduce the amount levied, giving the villagers a way to survive."

"Reduce?" General Zhao frowned. "How much do you want to reduce it to?"

"One hundred and fifty jin per household!"

There was not a trace of hesitation in Chen Mo's tone.

Sun Dazhu, who was listening nearby, was terrified and couldn't help but quietly tug at Chen Mo's clothes.

In his view, since he had already received the reward money, he might as well leave now and there was no need to discuss any conditions with Zhao, the military officer.

Moreover, how could the general easily agree to these demands?

Chen Mo did not back down in the slightest, and still boldly looked directly into Zhao Canjiang's eyes.

Looking at the young man before him, Lieutenant General Zhao suddenly burst into laughter.

"You really dare to speak up. Luckily, you reminded me. The general's original requirement for those gentry was only one hundred catties per household, but you've now proposed one hundred and fifty catties, which is fifty catties more than originally agreed," said Zhao, the adjutant.

Hearing this, Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

This aligns with his inner suspicions.

"General, you may not know this, but the Wang family often uses the pretext of grain requisition to secretly levy additional taxes. The villagers actually have to pay far more than two hundred catties. The one hundred and fifty catties that I mentioned is the real amount that was handed over to you, General."

Chen Mo spoke again.

This sentence made Lieutenant General Zhao fall into deep thought.

"If the general trusts me, I am willing to take charge of the village's grain collection. I guarantee that before the autumn harvest, each household will contribute 150 catties of grain, and there will be absolutely no delays!"

Chen Mo boldly assured him.

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Zhao narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Chen Mo again...