No one at home? Li Zicheng thought it was funny, isn't this old woman who speaks just a living person? Does it mean that there are no men in the family? He coughed and said, "I just saw someone coming in...... Auntie, don't worry, we are indeed not bad people, we just want to beg for hot water to drink! ”

The room was silent for a while, and the door finally opened, and Li Zicheng took advantage of the sunset to see a young descendant, holding a hunting fork in his hand, guarding the door, and he said angrily: "What are you going to do?" ”

Li Zicheng smiled and said: "Don't be nervous, we are just passing by, we are really just begging for saliva to drink, if you are worried, we will not enter the house, drink and leave!" ”

The latter glanced at Li Zicheng, and then gently hooked the door with his foot, but the hunting fork in his hand was not put down, maintaining a state of vigilance, just nodding to the old woman behind him, the old woman turned around, carrying a clay pot full of ash in one hand, and a white porcelain bowl in the other, she handed the porcelain bowl to Li Zicheng, and said: "Drink hot water, go quickly, don't scare the children in the village!" ”

"Scaring the kids?" Li Zicheng was stunned for a moment, and then remembered that since entering the village, he had not seen the child, so he said: "Auntie, we are just passing by, why are we scared of the child?" ”

The old woman looked puzzled, "Aren't you the officers and soldiers who came to urge food?" ”

Li Zicheng took the porcelain bowl, let the old woman pour hot tea, took out dry food from her body, and while eating dry food with hot water, she said very casually: "What did the aunt say, we are not here to urge food!" ”

The latter looked impatient, glanced at the old woman, and said, "Mother, don't talk nonsense, drink hot tea, let them leave quickly, so as not to get into trouble......"

The old woman was busy with her mouth, just carrying the clay pot, waiting to pour Li Zicheng hot tea again.

Li Zicheng glanced at He Xiaomi, He Xiaomi took out the smallest piece of broken silver from his pocket, less than half a tael, handed it to the old woman, bowed down and said: "Auntie, we all have to drink some hot tea, and these silver taels are used as firewood money!" ”

"Silver taels?" The old woman first showed joy on her face, her arm moved, but she didn't stretch out her hand, and said, "When you go out, who won't encounter some difficulties?" It's just some hot water...... Forget the silver......"

The latter looked at Li Zicheng carefully, and the hunting fork in his hand was unconsciously put down, "You really didn't come to urge food?" ”

Li Zicheng shook his head, "We really don't urge food, why, do officers and soldiers often come to urge food?" ”

The latter frowned, but was silent, the old woman sighed lightly, and said: "Hey, I don't know how to spend these days, the government, officers and soldiers often urge food and silver, and our Zhuang family ......."

He Xiaomi handed out the silver taels in his hand again, "Auntie, this is tea money!" ”

The old woman shook her head, "You better put it away, we don't want to ......" but her eyes swept twice on the silver tael, and then she left with some reluctance.

Li Zicheng's heart moved, took the broken silver, and forcibly stuffed it into the old woman's hand, "Auntie, we have rules, we don't take a stitch from the people, we drank the hot water of the eldest mother's house, we must pay the silver, I don't know if these are enough?" ”

"Enough, enough," the old woman's face bloomed, but she was still embarrassed to put it away, just grabbed it with her five fingers, "These silvers, not to mention a few bowls of hot water, can't be used up even for a meal......" turned her face and looked at Hou Sheng and said: "Or, burn the dry goods at home and entertain the military masters......"

Hou Sheng nodded silently and said to Li Zicheng: "Come in, it's warmer in the house!" ”

Li Zicheng begged the people for saliva to drink, it was just an excuse, there were originally firefighters in the barracks to boil water and rice, but after listening to the words of this mother and son, he still arched his hand, "Then thank you, we will also pay for this dinner." ”

"No, no," said the old woman, "this silver is enough!" ”

At this time, the weather gradually darkened, and the room was even darker, but the old woman did not have a palm lamp, Li Zicheng couldn't help but say: "Auntie, it's already dark, why don't you hold the lamp?" ”

The old woman smiled and said to the younger generation: "Son, I still have half a bottle of lamp oil in my room, go and palm the oil lamp!" ”

The latter didn't speak, but walked in quickly, and after a while, he came out with an oil lamp in his hand, "A few military masters, sit down for a while, dinner will be ready soon!" ”

Li Zicheng shrank in the corner after seeing this, knowing that he didn't need to help, so he said, "Brother, you come and sit too!" ”

The latter changed his fierce appearance just now, hesitated for a moment, and finally sat opposite Li Zicheng, his lips moved, but he didn't speak.

Li Zicheng estimated that they didn't light the lamp, but in order to save lamp oil, he asked He Xiaomi to take out a tael of silver and stuff it into the hands of Hou Sheng, "Brother, it's not easy for us to go out, and it's even more difficult for you in this deep mountain, this bit of silver is considered dinner and lamp oil money!" ”

"No, no," Hou Sheng hurriedly retracted his hand and muttered, "Mother said, the money for dinner is enough......"

"Take it," Li Zicheng insisted on stuffing the silver into the pocket of the descendant, "Brother, we have rules, we can't take the people's property for nothing!" ”

Seeing that he couldn't shirk it, Hou Sheng had to half-push and half-push, glanced at Li Zicheng, didn't speak, got up and went to the back.

Li Zicheng shook his head and smiled faintly.

After a while, there was a sound of footsteps behind her, and the old woman shouted from afar: "Several military masters, we can't ask for this silver, the silver we gave just now is enough...... Master Jun, take it back! The latter followed, blushing and bowing his head, but did not speak.

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "Auntie don't be polite, it's so late, and I have to bother my aunt ......"

The old woman saw that Li Zicheng had no intention of taking it back at all, so she had to thank her, stay behind, and go to the back to busy dinner, muttering as she walked: "I haven't seen such a military master for many years......

Li Zicheng's heart moved, and when Housheng sat down, he said lightly: "Brother, who else is in your family?" ”

"It's just me and my mother," Housheng was a little shy, lowered his head and said, "Two years ago, my father went to ...... due to illness."

Li Zicheng nodded slightly and said, "Seeing that my brother's age is not young, haven't you married?" ”

"No," Hou Sheng shook his head, his head almost down to his chest, and whispered: "The family is surrounded by walls, and there is money to marry ......"

Li Zicheng frowned and said, "What village is this called?" ”

"This place is called Savage Ditch, and legend has it that there were savages in the past, but I haven't seen savages for many years......"

Li Zicheng didn't know if there were really savages here, and he didn't care about the savages, so he nodded and said, "Just now you mistakenly thought that we were urging grain and silver, what is going on?" Shaanxi has been in drought in recent years, hasn't the government exempted from taxes? ”

Hou Sheng's face suddenly turned red, and his lips were already open, but when he saw the armor Li Zicheng was wearing, he really didn't make a sound, and the words he was about to say were swallowed back into his stomach.

Li Zicheng knew that he had misunderstood, and hurriedly said: "Don't worry, we are not local officers and soldiers!" ”

The latter said angrily: "Shaanxi had a big drought a few years ago, it was a matter in the north, we don't have a big drought here, and the government will naturally not exempt taxes, but ......"

"But what ......"

"In the past few years, in addition to the normal taxes, it has also levied Liao salaries and training salaries, and this year it is even more levy, and each mu of land has to increase four dollars of silver, and the people in the mountains are poor, and they really can't get ......."

"Four coins? So much? ”

Li Zicheng knows the situation in Longyou, the output per mu of land, the harvest year, the average is only one and a half stones, equivalent to two silver, it is seven or eight dollars, Savage Ditch is a mountainous area, the output on the land is definitely less, in addition to the normal tax, an increase of four dollars per mu, how can the people live?

In addition, officials at all levels have to take the opportunity to extract some of the ......

No wonder the rogues are fighting more and more, this is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster!

"I heard from the people in the government that the imperial court is going to increase by more than six million taels this time, and I don't know if it's true or not......" Hou Sheng unconsciously clenched his fists, stared at his eyes, and didn't know what he was looking at.

Li Zicheng was used to seeing these things, but he was also unhappy in his heart, and said: "In addition to this salary, how much is the tax paid on weekdays?" ”

"Ten taxes one!"

Li Zicheng was puzzled, "How can it be ten taxes and one?" The tax rate of the Ming Dynasty is not one of the fifteen taxes? ”

The government said that the increase was to be used as food for the soldiers who suppressed the thieves, and the later life became more and more angry, and his eyes could almost breathe fire, "all of them are rogues, and we will increase our taxes......

Li Zicheng was shocked in his heart, it turned out that the imperial court was smearing the rogues in this way, he glanced at Hou Sheng, slapped his palm on the square table in front of him, the old square table trembled violently, and almost fell apart, "These bastard officials, they are so exploiting the people, no wonder there are more and more rogue ......"

"Master ......"

Li Zicheng felt a little out of shape, hurriedly adjusted his mood, and said, "Brother, do you know why there are more and more rogues?" ”

"More and more?" The latter seemed to have an understanding, but he didn't dare to speak, just looked at Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng seemed to be talking to himself, and said: "If this continues, ordinary people will become new rogues sooner or later!" ”

"Yes, there are a few families in the front of the arm......" Hou Sheng said this, but he looked at Li Zicheng's armor, hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands, and didn't dare to continue.

Li Zicheng smiled slightly: "I understand what you mean, you can't blame the people, if it goes on like this, the people will not be able to make ends meet, and sooner or later they will join the Liukou, this is the result of the persecution of the imperial court, and the official coercion will cause the people to rebel......"

"Military Master ......" Hou Sheng looked at Li Zicheng, but his face changed.

"These rogues were originally good citizens," Li Zicheng said with a straight face: "Why did the people become rogues, it's not that they have no food to eat?" At first, it was only because of the drought in Shaanxi, but the imperial court refused to reduce taxes, and the people were forced to rise up in order to survive...... Later, just like this savage ditch, the imperial court did not think about disaster relief, but continued to increase taxes, coupled with the exploitation of the government, more and more people had no food to eat, and were forced to become rogues......"

The afterlife's eyes turned red, and he said, "It turns out that the military master knows ......"

"Of course I know," Li Zicheng still had a straight face, nodded slightly, and said: "Just like this Savage Valley, the people are already miserable, and the imperial court not only does not reduce taxes, but also increases salaries, and if it goes on like this, the people of Savage Ditch will sooner or later become rogues, and the officials of the imperial court will do what they eat......