In addition to worrying about whether the Onishi regime will retaliate, everyone is more worried about food, the old people say that they have food in their hands and do not panic, in the peaceful years, even more so in troubled times, often for a little food The two sides fight, and some even give many lives in vain.

At present, the Volunteer Army has 2,000 regular troops, plus government officials and local handicraftsmen, and the two prefectures under its jurisdiction need 5,000 or 6,000 mouths to eat every year, and 30,000 or 40,000 quintals of grain are needed every year.

The modern government needs to ensure price stability, in ancient times, people lived on food, if the local grain harvest failed, there was no food on the market, it would be the end of the world.

After the implementation of the new policy, all localities will no longer be forced to apportion, and the people only need to pay normal taxes, although one bucket of millet per mu of fertile land and 6 liters per mu of dry land, if all such a large amount of grain is collected, it should be able to ensure local food supply.

However, in the past few years, natural disasters have continued, coupled with the chaos of war, there are grain failure sites in various places, in order to alleviate the grain failure, prevent the people from fleeing the famine, and affect local public security.

After returning from Bazhou, Yang Lin began to set up porridge sheds in various places in November to give porridge, because everyone has been living too hard in the past few years, they need forty or fifty quintals of grain every day, so they will delay until the beginning of spring next year to harvest the grain in the field, and they will also need seven or eight thousand quintals of grain before and after.

Of course, if the family has a big business and has grain in hand, this is nothing, but now the problem actually appears in the late Ming Dynasty grain collection method, which is in Zhang Juzheng's whip law.

In the past, the imperial court levied in kind, and Zhang Juzheng changed the collection of silver taels for the convenience of the government, so that although it was convenient for the yamen to collect taxes, it was bitter for the common people, and also for the local yamen when the war was in chaos.

During the Tainian period, grain prices were stable, and grain was collected directly from the common people, and the government did not lose much by collecting land taxes according to the annual grain parity price, but the common people were different.

Since the government taxes were collected in those months or two, the common people bought grain in order to pay the taxes, while the local traders bought at a lower price, so that the price of grain was particularly low in the months when the taxes were paid, and the people often had to sell two or three percent more grain when they paid a field tax.

In the peaceful years, when the war was in chaos, the common people simply did not pay the money, and the government needed food to march and fight, without food, there was no food to eat and clothing, and the officers and soldiers often plundered the place.

After many days of consideration, Yang Lin finally made up his mind and said categorically: "This grain is directly related to people's livelihood, and the price should be very stable." Why do prices change so much throughout the year? ”

Chen Huaixi said with a smile: "My lord, this way of businessman has always been like this. Let's think about it, the villagers have just received the grain, and the yamen is urging them urgently, and the poor people have no money and food at home, so they buy it at a low price.

In March and April, when the harvest is scarce, the wealthy families have grain, and some families always have to buy a little grain, so the price will rise.

Just by virtue of this mystery, many businessmen can earn a few hundred taels of silver a year. ”

Yang Lin thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Yes, looking at it this way, the people's lives are not easy." ”

Fan Mingshan stood up and said with a smile: "My lord, the year before was the deadline for the collection of land endowments, and many people had to sell grain at a low price in order to hand over the land endowment. ”

Yang Lin shook his head and said with a smile: "It must not be like this, those who are in government focus on integrity, and the disadvantage of government is that the order is changed overnight, especially now that the price of grain is very high, if it is just to increase the income of the yamen, and the money and grain are collected in kind without permission, so if it continues, the people will be at a loss." ”

Fan Mingshan spread his hands and said, "You, why are you like this mother-in-law now?" In my opinion, if it is really changed to physical goods, there is no one who will oppose it? ”

After thinking about it, he looked at the scribe Zhou Zheng and asked, "You check, how much grain is still in the treasury of the three counties of Pengzhou?" ”

Zhou Zheng went out for half a ring, half a pillar of incense kung fu and a few account gentlemen ran over, preliminary accounting, now there are only 2,000 quintals of grain in Xiangru County, about 2,000 quintals in Yingshan County, about 3,000 quintals in Yilong County, plus two counties in Dazhou, it is not more than 8,000 quintals of grain.

This is really too little, to ensure the stability of grain prices, the government needs to raise at least forty or fifty thousand quintals of grain, thinking about it, Yang Lin suddenly stood up, walked back and forth, suddenly stopped, and looked at the crowd with a smile: "Yes, play white, don't the people have to pay the field tax?"

We can give them the white slip first, and then they can just hand it over. ”

When everyone heard this, they felt that it was feasible, and everyone immediately gathered around, and after some explanation, everyone shouted loudly and claimed that it was.

Hou Mazi, a farmer in Houjiaji, was restless for the past two days, and the township chief and village chief had people beat gongs and drums a month ago, so that everyone could hand over the field and Ding Fu before the year.

Since ancient times, when soldiers eat food, farmers like Hou Mazi pay public grain, which is nothing.

However, this year, some places have been disturbed, and listening to the other townships, the eldest lord is quite merciful, and the places where the banditry is serious have exempted Tian Fu Ding Fu and reduced Tian Fu Ding Fu.

The villagers of Hou Jiaji muttered, everyone looked forward to the fact that the hometown could also reduce a little Tian Fu Ding Fu all day long, and some even went to the Yamen Township Office all day long to investigate.

It is said that it is a township office, but it is just a tile house, located in the market, usually the township chief He and a servant work there, and when the market is rushed, a few officials come to the county house to collect land or something.

Early this morning, the township office seemed to be busy, and all the security chiefs and the first and first chiefs were called over, and it seems that this year's field endowment has to be paid.

Just returned home, looking at Hou Mazi who bowed his head and sighed, his wife was a few down, although the eldest lord was merciful, but now that the army is in chaos, it is impossible to get rid of the field endowment, if it is exempted, what will the government people eat?

Hurry up and sell food now? The grain merchants in the bazaar were very shrewd. In the first two days, the price of grain was 6 yuan a load, but if you hear about the levy of land and ding taxes, it may immediately fall to 5 yuan a load and 4 yuan a load.

But what's the solution? Hou Mazi felt that his heart was dripping blood, his hands trembled, and he finally filled a load of grain, carried the burden, and rushed to the market.

On the main road, there are a lot of grain sellers, everyone sighs, and some secretly pray that the grain merchants should not be too dark, desperately to lower the price of grain, so that the croppers will suffer.

When I came to the market, the door of the grain merchants was closed, and I saw this group of croppers desperately carrying the grain to the store, and the men shouted loudly, so that everyone could line up first, and the grain merchants were discussing the price of the grain?

Are you negotiating the price of grain again? Some people muttered loudly, wasn't it 6 cents of silver yesterday? Is it going to drop to more than 5 points?

The guy glared at the man who dared to provoke viciously, and scolded angrily: "Trading is a fair transaction, one is willing to buy and the other is willing to sell, you don't want to sell, pick it back?" ”

When the farmer heard this, he hurriedly smiled. In order to hand over Tian Fu Ding Fu, he picked more than ten miles of mountain roads, if he picked it back like this, he couldn't sell it and couldn't hand over Tian Fu Ding Fu, would it be a big loss from time to time?

The farmer endured it, nodded his head, and apologized vigorously, but the guy was not moved at all, as if he had eaten it, and scolded loudly.

At this moment, there was a burst of gongs and drums from the township office, and everyone stopped shouting and scolding, and listened carefully one by one.

I saw the officials shouting while walking, asking everyone to carry the millet to the front ferry, the government is collecting grain at the ferry, 1 quintal of high-grade grain 6 yuan, inferior 5 yuan 5 cents, inferior 5 cents, direct tax bills, can be used as a field to pay Ding Fu.

Although this is the same as the merchant's price, it reduces the intermediate relief and has no fire consumption.

Now the adult fire consumption is much less, only 20%, but after all, it is also 20%, your 1 tael of 2 dollars of silver can only be worth 1 tael of silver, so 6 yuan a load of grain, which is equivalent to 7 yuan and 2 cents purchased by the merchant.

After a little pondering, everyone knew what was going on, and many people gathered around, and some people immediately called to the ferry to watch.

In the distance, I saw that four or five small boats had been moored by the ferry, and a tent office of the government was standing there with four or five people, claiming that they could pay grain and taxes.

The method of handing over the grain is very simple, first a person inspects the goods to judge the grade of the grain, weighs it, writes a receipt in the account, and then loads the grain onto the ship.

The official next to him announced loudly that everyone had finished selling the grain and got the receipt, and if they encountered the official levying the land and the dingfu, they would directly hand over the receipt.

Seeing that he had exchanged a load of grain for such a receipt, Hou Mazi was nervous, pointed his finger, and asked, "Brother Errand, do you say it's okay?"

Such a piece of rice paper is equivalent to a tax of 6 yuan of silver?"

The eldest brother pointed and said with a smile: "Of course, it has your name on it, the time when you paid the grain, and the place where you paid the grain."

In addition, the master not only issued you a receipt, but also specially registered and made a book, which is fine. ”

When Hou Mazi heard this, he bowed again and again, walked back with an empty list, and was still not at ease when he walked halfway, and saw the village chief from a distance, handed him the receipt, and was worried about whether he could deduct the tax.

The village chief took it and expressed his approval.

Standing by the ferry, everyone smiled when they saw the soldiers carrying bags of grain into the warehouse.

Although some places have been plagued by local tyrants this year, the collection of Tianfu Ding Fu in the three counties of Pengzhou has been quite smooth, and a total of 20,000 quintals of grain and 10,000 taels of tax silver have been collected.

There is an old man who said that he has food in his hands, and he is not panicked, and after having food, many things seem to be at ease.

The government lends 1-2 quintals of grain to each homeless household, and the interest is only 20% a year, which is equivalent to borrowing compared to those usury.

With this 1-2 quintals of grain, everyone does not need to flee the famine or anything, many people clean up on the allocated arable land, and in the past, it was because the government levied taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and the people were not able to make a living.

The eldest lord is honest and honest, Tian Fu is only 6 cents of silver per mu, and Ding Fu is only 1 cent and 2 cents of silver, as long as it is not a famine year, that can't make do with it?

Many homeless people boil gruel every day, plus pick a little wild fruit or something to satisfy their hunger.

Although life was hard, it was much better than the time when I was a homeless person, when I often had a meal but not a meal, and I ate much worse than now.

Of course, not all the harvests are good, those black-hearted grain merchants originally wanted to make a lot of money, but who expected that the government suddenly took action and dispelled the trick of everyone buying at a low price.