Zhoujiakou Town, which was later known as Zhoukou City, is located at the confluence of the Shahe, Yinghe and Jialu Rivers. When Zhang Zhaohua arrived, he saw that the yellow water was pouring on all sides, and the civilian servants under the embankment were coming and going to carry and clean up.

"The Jialu River is silted," Jiang Tingqi said, "This year, the Yellow River is overflowing, not only breaking the old road, but also entering the sea from the Whirlpool River and the Yinghe River. ”

The Jialu River is the Huimin River, which diverts water from the ditch dug in Mi County, passes through Zhengzhou and Zhongmu, turns south to Kaifeng, and goes directly to Zhoukou into the Huai River, which is the flow direction of the Jialu River. Jialuzhi River, the southeast of the Bang River takes the old road from Si into Huai, the Yellow River at this time basically takes the Jialu River as the main stream, but once the water rises, it will seize the Yingying and even the vortex.

Because the Yellow River carries too much sediment, the river is easy to silt, generally speaking, the silt will not be easily driven by the current, only layer by layer, every once in a while to clean up the silt, the dredging method is 'the water falls on the beach to pick and dig, the water rises by boat to climb', but in addition to the simple tools, the method used is actually the same as the dredging in later generations, all of which are to stir the sediment first, and then use manpower tools to pick up the silt, so what Zhang Zhaohua saw was that the husband was picking up mud on a load.

Zhengfu is obviously the appearance of Zhengfu, but there are farmers who are obviously not Zhengfu next to the river, and these farmers are also digging something under the embankment.

After asking, I learned that this kind of soil can fertilize the field, and crops will grow well if they are planted in this kind of soil.

"Are the crops good this year," Jiang Tingqi asked, "After the autumn grain, how much grain is still in stock, old man?"

"Will the crops be good this year?" said the two old peasants, "all flooded by the river!"

Zhang Zhaohua heard them say that the river had flooded the ground, but looking at their expressions, it didn't seem that they were rushing to the sky. The reason was soon known, because of the river decision, the imperial court exempted this year's summer tax and autumn grain.

As soon as Zhang Zhaohua was about to speak, he heard one of the old peasants say: "The imperial court has exempted the tax, and the grain chief will not dare to force us! There is no need to levy an extra five liters of tax! There will be a big flood this year, and the canal will not be able to run a boat, so I really hope that there will be a big flood every year!"

Zhang Zhaohua heard it clearly, and couldn't help but step forward and ask: "Old man, how does the imperial court collect taxes on the common people?"

The old man saw Zhang Zhaohua, even though she was already dressed ordinary, but he still felt that Zhang Zhaohua was not like an ordinary person, and he suddenly snorted and didn't dare to make a sound, or the Yang family came to talk, saying that this was not the official wife, and their family was from the capital to visit relatives in their hometown, Zhang Zhaohua immediately reacted, all these years of speaking official language, almost forgot that he grew up in Henan, and suddenly spoke an authentic Henan dialect, and the old man couldn't help but relax his vigilance.

Through inquiry, I learned that because the emperor toured the north, so the summer tax and autumn grain were not sent to Nanjing, but sent to Beijing by canal, the last time the emperor toured the north, the grain chief added more grain and rice, such as the official ship to collect the ship's consumption, all kinds of names such as light gambling, mat wood, positive consumption, additional consumption, monthly grain, sticky rubbing, miscellaneous expenses, etc., the amount of levy is about the same as the mu tax, or even more than the positive amount.

Because all the grain at this time was collected and escorted into Beijing by the grain chief, and the grain chief set up a dissolution and a transporter to serve the transport, so they levied the ship fee, which was reasonable, but the price was actually equivalent to the mu tax, which was very excessive.

Zhang Zhaohua thought that the local grain chief was just charging an extra boat fare, but he didn't expect these old farmers to gossip, saying that the grain chief not only overcharged taxes, but also did a lot of tricks and tricks in folding colors.

The so-called true color, and folded color, refers to the world's tax grain, mainly rice and wheat, this is the true color, but also allows the people to use silver, banknotes, money, silk instead of loss, this is folded color. The summer tax does not exceed August, wheat is the mainstay, and the autumn grain is not more than February next year, and the rice is the mainstay, and those who do not pay enough of their true colors will be folded into color, and the household will set one ingot and fold rice for one stone, one tael of gold, ten stones, one tael of silver, two stones, one boil of silk, two buckets of stone, one boil of cotton cloth, one stone, one piece of ramie, seven buckets, and one pound of cotton, two buckets.

"The grain chief said, a pound of cotton is folded into a bucket?" Zhang Zhaohua said: "One or two pieces of silver for one stone?"

Seeing the farmer nodding, Zhang Zhaohua couldn't help but say angrily: "What a point this must be black-hearted!"

The grain chief of Zhoujiakou Town not only stood up to make a name for himself and disturbed the grain households, but also received bonuses, embezzled money and grain, and the small people planted thin fields and relied on carrying water for irrigation, but they were exploited and pressed by all kinds of people, and they had to pay one to two buckets of land taxes, which was unspeakably miserable.

"Zhao Laohan, go and take a look," a voice roared from afar: "The chief is urging your nephew to ask for food again!"

An old man in his sixties suddenly threw down the shovel and ran, and the remaining old farmers also shook their heads, carried their burdens and walked back, saying as they walked: "Zhao Laohan, his nephew just died last year, his daughter-in-law and mother are all sick seedlings, his family's land is still grass-collapsed, and the grain cannot be harvested...... If he can't pay his taxes, the lieutenant won't let him go......"

"Three liters of three in five spoons per mu of private land, and three in five spoons per mu of grass collapsed land," Jiang Tingqi said: "The chief here is not only a grudge against him, but also willing to die if he dies." ”

Zhang Zhaohua said, "Let's go, let's take a look." ”

Following these old peasants, after walking for less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived at Bianli Village, there were not many people in the village, and they were all gathered in one place, which was the family of Zhao Guangsheng, the nephew of Zhao Laohan.

"Do you pay the grain-" The person who commanded with a loud voice was the lieutenant chief, and there were a few fierce people behind him, and he didn't know what the origin was: "Let me tell you Zhao Guangsheng, you didn't pay half of the autumn grain in February, and it was delayed from August to February, and when will it be delayed, you have made up for me this year's summer tax!"

"My family has a total of fifteen acres of land," Zhao Guangsheng begged: "I have old and young, only one of me has no one to help, I can't cultivate it at all, and my field is still grass collapsed!"

The lieutenant chief did not have the slightest sympathy, he grabbed Zhao Guangsheng's neckline, and said with a cruel smile: "If you can't hand it over, use houses, livestock, farm tools, etc. to fold the field endowment, I see that your house is not bad, sell it quickly, make up for the autumn grain, or I will send you to eat the lawsuit!

Zhao Guangsheng wept bitterly and begged for mercy, and the crowd showed resentment, and one of them said: "This year's river decision, the imperial court will not let us pay the summer tax!"

"Where did you hear about it, where did you hear about it?" the lieutenant threatened: "The county government has issued an order, and the summer tax will be paid the same this year, and you are still dreaming, thinking that you don't have to pay grain?"

The lieutenant chief made a fortune in Zhao Guangsheng's house, and several thugs smashed a few of the Zhao family's pots and pans, intimidating everyone, and then left.