The so-called collection of taxes. Today's society has generally established the principle of taking from the people and using it for the people, and the taxes collected by various countries today are generally used in national defense, public security, economic construction, and other places that are conducive to the national economy and the people's livelihood. But in the Middle Ages, when there was no distinction between home and state, taxes were used by the monarch for private use. For example, the construction of mausoleums and palaces that cost a lot of money, especially the wind of thick burials in the Han and Tang dynasties, caused a large number of thieves and diggers. King Zhao's father created the once-in-a-century era of the Taiping Emperor, and built unprecedented palaces and huge mausoleums in order to flaunt the world's great stability. The tomb of the first king is the largest and most luxurious mausoleum of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Under this social background, especially the heavy taxes, it is difficult for the people to afford them, so sometimes they have to be armed to collect them, which is not much different from the Ming robbery.

In addition, in ancient China, for example, there were three ways to pay taxes.

Before the Han Dynasty, the regular tax was about one-tenth, of course, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, in order to fight, the Qin Dynasty for Qin Shi Huang's various projects, the actual collection was much more than these.

Liu Bang, Taizu of the Han Dynasty, succeeded to the throne and recuperated, and the land rent was set at one-fifteenth, and the other kinds were doubled at most. Later, Emperor Wen succeeded to the throne and cut it by half. Later, the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty all followed the basic principle of thirty taxes and one tax. Of course, in practice, elevation is another story.

There is also the tuntian system established by Cao Cao - the starting point is half or four or six divisions (national six people four), this standard is frighteningly high, and it has been actually used until the Sui Dynasty.

And when the world is in turmoil, all the forces do everything in order to fight. In addition, the situation of the Song Dynasty was even more special - in order to maintain a large bureaucratic army and a huge forbidden army, the Song Dynasty was satirized by Zhu Xi for the looting techniques of the Great Song Dynasty.

Before King Zhao's father and son, the clans of various families competed for the throne for a hundred years, and it was a troubled time, and the burden on the people was very heavy. In the middle of the reign of King Zhao's father, he felt that the world was peaceful, so the proportion was reduced to one-tenth.

However, even this burden is relatively heavy. Especially when I encountered King Zhao's father and son, he lacked confidence in the world, and it was difficult to deter the petty people, so the phenomenon of indiscriminate collection of money was still relatively serious.

No, in front of Zhou Cong, the temporary leader of the county, the tax officials who had promised not to collect more did relent, but they still kept the most basic way to make money.

I saw a farmer pour grain into the official grain utensils – he was supposed to have paid enough – and a tax collector suddenly roared, ran over at a speed of 100 meters, and suddenly kicked the grain.

Then the barrel-shaped vessel swayed and spilled some grain—the most peculiar of all, it didn't fall, but it stood still.

Then the jailers said, "Old man, it's not full." ”

The old man had a bitter face, so he had to continue to fill it. When it was full, the tax collectors did not speak, because they had to kick again.

At this time, the second one who was about to sprint was pulled by the horse's head, and then the horse stopped his head and said, "Enough." Give him the credentials. ”

The tax collectors and servants secretly glanced at Zhou Cong, who was watching dumbfounded.

Ma had no choice but to go over to comfort Zhou Cong: "Brother Zhou (agreed, you can't leak your identity), this drenching is a common practice for thousands of years. Of course, the family can only kick once, and if the brothers are deducted too much, they can only kick two more. ”

"It's really that the officials are full of food before the people can be fed. It's not that I didn't know about this kick, I just didn't expect ......"

"I didn't expect it in front of you. I heard that Brother Zhou also stayed in the industrial and commercial department and collected industrial and commercial taxes? ”

"Usually, whether it is food or business in the industrial and commercial department, generally no more than this amount will be paid. Others, such as grabbing a handful, are quite common. ”

"That's it, the industry and commerce are grabbing, and the amount of copper money is counted, which is the same as our grain collection."

"I understand that if everyone's monthly money is sufficient, they will basically have enough food and clothing, but they still often deduct arrears, and all the servants who don't eat or take soap will starve to death."

"We can't help it, the parents at home have to be supported, and the wives and children have to eat. Errands are just a mess, and we don't want the villagers to hate us. ”

"I understand that officials can be transferred to other places, and it's a big deal to pat their butts and leave if they are hated. But the soap officials are all on errands at the door of the house, in fact, if they can, everyone doesn't want to be poked in the backbone by the villagers. ”

"So, please understand the difficulties of our errands. You give an order from the county government, and we'll have to break our legs to do it. ”

"I also know that the king of Jingli asked for one money, but it has become ten dollars in the county, and in the end you have to collect a hundred dollars. Hahaha. ”

"Then we little officials can't do anything, because the order has already reached our hands for eighty dollars."

"That's, forget it. How much can you get now? ”

"Two or three, so don't stop us, we won't be able to open the pot without kicking the house."

"I'm not an impersonal person. I've heard that this kick is very particular, and when the force is great, the bucket will be overturned, and if the force is small, it will not be able to be spilled. ”

"You don't need it anyway, there's no need to know."

"Don't, this time it's no longer as good as it was in the mainland. If I really let the barbarians come in, I might really lose my position. ”

"Then go back and dig at the door, you can kick the door open with one kick, and the person is still standing firm."

"I don't like to kick in a widow's door."

"Hahaha, you, where do you kick the widow's door? The famous ladies in the county are waiting for a tryst with you. ”

At this time, Zhou Cong lowered his head instead, and said with a gloomy expression: "No, my family is poor, I haven't learned piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, calligraphy, etiquette, and music, and no one will like me." ”

"I advise you, you are a person who has a daughter-in-law."

"Hehe, that's right."

"Let's go, let's keep playing. Your side is a feudal official, and you can't be soft-hearted, and one day you won't be angry with this world? ”

"I think so. Herdsmen and herdsmen, what officials eat is people's fat and people's ointment, and good officials just bite this bite. ”

Then he quickly changed his mentality, and saw that no matter how poor and poor he was, he was not so distressed that people handed over their life's food, and he was kicked by the tax collectors.

After the grain is collected, the warehouse should be filled into the warehouse, and finally the grain sprinkled on the ground is swept into a bag, and each tax collector can divide a lot. When he loaded the car and left, Zhou Cong knew why Hongnongfu claimed that no one was good at "imperial art", after all, the food kicked out had to be pulled home by himself, and he wouldn't be able to drive the car, what kind of field renter would you be?

He was too lazy to ride a horse, and he chatted with the head of the horse stall, so he went back together in the ox cart of the horse stall. Along the way, I learned a lot of jokes about the grain harvest, which made him laugh and make him cry. Laughter is cola, crying is all based on the blood and tears of the people.

When he returned home, his wife made an exception and prepared drinks for him.

"How can there be wine?"

"If you're not feeling good, drink a bar."

"yes, I'm not happy. Think of the people who work all day long, but they have no food and clothing, and if there is a slight natural or man-made disaster, they have to sell their property, and even sell their children and daughters. ”

"Cong, this is the way of heaven."

"yes. The tiger wants to eat cattle and sheep, and wants to eat hares and pheasants, and the tiger can take a nap when he is full, but the cattle, sheep, rabbits and chickens are not idle for a moment, for fear of losing their lives. ”

"So Sage Cloud: Heaven and earth are unkind."

"I also know that people are hungry and can do anything, I experienced it when I was a child."

"Was it my father and mother who took you back to your hometown in Fengyang?"

"Yes, there was a locust plague just halfway through. When I was a child, I liked to roast grasshoppers to eat and play, but that time I saw a swarm of grasshoppers that could cover the sky, and everywhere I went, as long as every leaf was gnawed clean. The local people had no food to eat, and the relief food did not arrive, so there was a scene of cannibalism. ”

"It's all in the past." His wife hurriedly hugged Zhou Cong and comforted him.

"I've been there." He took two sips of wine, "I watched them loot the people today and collect more food from the people. Yes, not much, just a little. But if I'm not there, I don't know how much more I'll charge! Woo woo woo ...... "Twenty-six or seven, Zhou Cong, who has been the father of two children, finally cried.