Baishui County, Shaanxi

A big man in tattered clothes looked up at the scorching sun, lowered his head and threw the missing water scoop in his hand into the tattered wooden barrel. The water slammed into the bucket and the bottom of the bucket with a clanging sound, but there was not a single sound of water.

The big man sighed deeply, raised his hand and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the tattered placket of his clothes.

This damn thief god just doesn't want people to live.

After years of severe drought, even the small river at the head of the village is about to bottom out. Seeing that this man is running out of water to drink, there is still water to water the crops!

There is no water, and what I see is going to be harvested this year, how can people live?

Looking at the fields that had dried up and cracked, the big man sighed deeper.

Since the spring of the fifth year of the Apocalypse, in the past year or so, there have only been two drizzles in Baishui County that can't even get your clothes wet. Last year, everyone worked tirelessly to carry water to water the fields, and in the end, they only took back some seed grain. This year is another big drought, and seeing that the harvest is a foregone conclusion, how can Dahan not be disappointed.

After two years of drought, the family's savings have already bottomed out. Seeing it, you have to know where to forage for food, and how can the big man not be depressed.

"Second brother, second brother, it's not good." Suddenly there was a hurried shout from the edge of the field, which alarmed the big man in tatters.

"Seed three, what are you crying about?"

Looking up to see the person shouting, the big man shouted angrily.

"Second brother, second brother, it's really not good, those damn tax collectors are here again." The people shouted loudly as they ran.

"Tax collector?"

The big man was startled, stood up, and ran out of the field with an arrow step. Although he was anxious, he instinctively avoided the grass seedlings that were about to turn yellow and roasted by the fiery sun.

At this time, there was a faint noise of shouting from the distant village.

When the big man ran back to the village, the village was in chaos. More than a dozen crooked hat-wearing, open-chested guys were looting everywhere in the village, causing chaos in the village.

"Stop." The big man shouted angrily.

"The second brother is here, the second brother is here."

In a chaotic shout, the villagers in the village rushed to the big man's side.

Seeing the villagers gathered in a group, a guy who walked in all directions seemed to be patrolling the village, holding a knife in his hand and letting out a whistle.

Hearing the whistle, the other guys gathered behind him in a mess.

"You're the second king?"

The leader deliberately turned sideways and flashed the saber on his waist before continuing to say contemptuously: "It's a big man." ”

Looking at the villagers who had gathered behind Wang Er, a fierce color flashed in this person's eyes, and he roared sharply: "Sprinkle the county government to arrest Wu Jinkui quickly, don't you want to disperse quickly, do you want to rebel?" ”

To Wu Jinkui's disappointment, even when he heard his identity as a fast catcher, the villagers were only in a commotion, but no one left.

Seeing the saber on Wu Jinkui's waist, Wang Er's eyes shrank slightly. Arching his hand, he asked cautiously: "Wu Zhutou, what are you ......?"

Without waiting for Wang Er to finish speaking, Wu Jinkui interjected and shouted: "Wang Er, when will your taxes be paid?" The county is very dissatisfied with your repeated tax arrears! ”

"Taxes?"

Hearing this word, Wang Er's eyes were a little red.

Still in arrears of taxes?

Last autumn, in order to pay taxes, his last bit of family money was scraped clean, and now he still owes taxes?

Wang Er stared at Wu Jinkui's eyes and shouted angrily: "Wu Zhutou, last year, I paid two taels of tax silver, where do you still owe?" ”

Facing Wang Er's questioning, Wu Jinkui's heart shone.

To say that the two taels of silver paid by Wang Er have long exceeded the regulations of the Ming court.

The Ming Dynasty set all kinds of positive taxes and miscellaneous taxes in Shaanxi, according to a whip method, converted into an acre of land about 2 buckets of tax grain. According to the current grain price, two buckets will only be more than one penny and silver.

Wang Er's family has a total of ten acres of thin fields, and according to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, even if a little loss is added, Wang Er only needs to pay one tael, five or six taxes and silver. The amount of 228, even if you add the Liao salary levied by the imperial court, it is more than enough (Liao Yu is an additional 9 cents of silver for one mu of land, and 10 mu is an additional 9 cents of silver, which is less than one penny).

Last year, Wang Er handed over two taels of silver, which counted, and the benefits of fishing up and down in the county were also passable.

But the question is, how could these Wu Jinkui tell Wang Er?

At this time, thinking of the explanation of the county government household secretary's office, Wu Jinkui was also irritable in his heart.

In recent years, the weather has not been good, and in the past two years, there have been many droughts in successive years, and there are really many people in the county who can't survive. These families either donated their land to the families of meritorious people and turned them into tenants, or they abandoned their land and fled. Coupled with the land bought by large households in the county, the loss of tax sources in the county has been getting bigger and bigger in the past two years. Until now, even half of the quota in the Yellow Book of Fish Scales has not been reached.

The new emperor ascended the throne, and the tax arrears were too large, which had seriously affected the evaluation of the county lord. The future of the county lord has been affected, and the top and bottom of the county government will inevitably follow with a little bad luck.

The clerk said that Wang Erli (although the Ming Dynasty implements the Lijia system of 110 households for one mile and 10 households for one Jia, but most of the time, the tax of a village of almost the same size is one li) is not enough to collect even 30% of the tax, and it must be strictly pursued.

If he can't receive more than sixty percent this time, he Wu Jinkui will be on the board of the county.

But the problem is that most of the acres of land in Wang Er's are under the name of Ding Juren. Ding Juren is one of the behemoths in Baishui County, and he is the lord who even the county does not want to offend, how dare he come to collect taxes?

He came to the door to ask for help this time, and Ding Juren's housekeeper threw out three taels of silver in displeasure, saying that it was to pay this year's taxes.

What is it?

You know, in the past, even if he Wu Jinkui came to the door to play an autumn breeze, the housekeeper of the Ding family smiled and took out three or five taels of silver to calculate the tea money?

This time, he is so dry with three taels of silver, seeing that he Wu Jinkui has offended people ruthlessly, I don't know how to take care of it again in the future?

What if Ding Juren holds a grudge against him, what will he do if he is rectified in the future?

Thinking of this, Wu Jinkui's heart was full of chagrin.

He should not have gone to the gate of the Ascending Juren. Although Wang Er's group of people is in a group, how can this group of mud legs be easier to deal with than Ding Juren, isn't it?

Wu Jinkui thought in his heart, and showed a somewhat fierce expression on his face: "Where do you still owe, you still owe the imperial court the Liao salary?" ”

With a chest straightened, Wu Jinkui held the hilt of the knife and shouted menacingly: "The new emperor has ascended the throne, Lord Chongzhen has a will, in view of the urgent military situation in Liaodong, an additional 3 yuan per mu will be levied." Wang Er, do you still owe 3 taels of silver in taxes? ”

"Another 3 dollars per mu? Does this still make people live? ”

"Shouldn't it be the Apocalypse? How did you change Chongzhen? Why is Lord Chongzhen so dark? ”

Hearing Wu Jinkui's words, the villagers behind Wang Er exploded with a 'boom', and they chattered into a loud voice.