Chapter 2: Taxation and Grain Increase

Blue sky and white clouds, clear sky, gentle spring breeze blowing the earth.

In the fields, figures are busy, waving hoes and stepping on iron trees. With sweat, the solid earth rolls up, and then scatters into a loose brown layer.

In a field that was obviously darker, dozens of men turned over the soil with their heads shut, and one of them, an old man with white hair, was turning over the soil while telling something to the children in white who were watching beside him.

"The soil layer needs to be renovated, and the soil layer is loose before sowing can be sown. In this way, it is easier for the seeds to take root and sprout and grow. ”

The old man picked up the catalpa and stood on the edge of the field, stepped on it with his left foot, and the whole surface of the catalpa was submerged into the field, and then pressed the catalpa hard, and the solid clods of soil were suddenly lifted up by the catalpa.

Seeing this, the child in white suddenly became childlike and shouted that he wanted to try it too, but when the old man handed the iron catalpa to the child in white, the child in white tried it with great interest.

I saw that he raised his foot-long calf, and his little foot stepped on the iron catalpa hard, and even his whole body stood on the iron catalpa, but the iron catalpa still stood still, and did not even sink into the field.

This made the child in white suddenly embarrassed, and no matter how he jumped on the iron tree, he couldn't dig an inch under the iron tree.

Seeing this, the old man smiled, took the catalpa and stepped on it with his left foot, and the catalpa was completely submerged in the field.

He glanced up at the white-clothed child and smiled, "When you grow to be as tall as your grandfather, you can step on it." ”

The child in white scratched his head when he heard this, as if he understood or not.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of horses' hooves in the distance, and the old man and the child in white immediately looked up, and the men working around also looked at it.

Seeing the dust flying and the horses galloping a few miles away, the child in white asked curiously, "Grandpa, what are they doing?"

"Hey, why did these officials come to the field. It's spring planting time, and no rent is charged. Seeing this, a big bull in the middle of the man frowned and muttered to himself in confusion.

"Isn't it here to catch strong men for servitude?" guessed a tall and thin man named Black Egg.

"Don't talk nonsense. Since our Uncle Li became the village head, our village has never had a matter of arresting strong men for conscription. Listening to Hei Dan's words, the inch-headed man named Tian San'er reprimanded Hei Dan, and then he also turned his head to look at the official who was running on horseback.

I saw dozens of officials riding tall horses, stepping on leather boots, and wearing black and gold moire uniforms, stopping everywhere they went, reading something to the villagers working in the fields.

At this time, Tian San'er, who reprimanded the black egg, also beat in his heart, and everyone also stopped, looked up one by one, and then looked at the white-haired old man one by one.

Seeing this, the white-haired old man comforted everyone, and said loudly: "Don't panic first, you will know what is going on when the official arrives." ”

As soon as everyone heard the old village chief say this, they immediately seemed to have found the backbone of the main heart, and their hearts were a little more steady.

Not long after, a group of officials on tall horses galloped over, and did not stop until the old man was in front of the field.

Suddenly, a puff of dust flew, dozens of high-headed horses with one person high neighed in the sky, and the official in military uniform grabbed the reins and controlled the horses. A killing spirit rushed to his face.

When the old man saw that the officials had stopped, he immediately asked with a smile: "I don't know if the official has anything to tell Xiaomin when he arrives?"

The black-faced sergeant at the head glanced at the old man, and then with a wave of his right hand, an official immediately turned over and dismounted behind him.

After the official dismounted, he took out a silk cloth embroidered with a dragon pattern from his waist, waved his hands, spread it out, and read aloud: "Today, the war in the northwest is tight, and the grain and grass are insufficient, so the logistics department of the military department has issued a special order to increase grain. Nine stones per person in Qingquan Town, handed over in the autumn harvest. ”

As soon as the official who read out the order to increase food came out, everyone was stunned for a moment, and then they all started talking in panic.

"Nine stones per person? We don't necessarily have nine stones, how can we hand them over? This is completely out of our people's livelihood!"

Even some villagers with poor fields threw away their farming tools and sat in the fields and stopped working.

Seeing that the black-faced official led by the people of Qingquan Town was so resistant, his face changed, his eyes became sharp, his eyes were like electricity, and he glanced at everyone coldly and shouted in a deep voice: "What?

As soon as he said this, a murderous aura emanated from his body, and everyone was so frightened that they didn't dare to speak.

And when the old man saw that this black-faced official had such a strong killing aura on his body, his face also changed.

However, as the head of Qingquan Village, he had to stand up and say a few words for the villagers, but he didn't dare to directly refute the words of this black-faced official.

After all, he is a citizen, the other party is an official, and behind the other party is the court.

The old man pondered his rhetoric, stepped forward, and said to the black-faced official with a smile: "This official, the people know that it is not easy for the Northwest military masters to protect their families and defend the country, and we ordinary people should fully support it." However, our Qingquan Village is a small village, with little land and not much population, so the big guys really can't get so much food. Official, see if you can see that General Ding's face is reduced a little. ”

Listening to the old man's words, the black-faced official frowned, but when he heard what the old man said, General Ding's eyes flashed with a hint of strangeness, and then he asked, "Who is General Ding in your mouth?"

After hearing this, the old man's expression tightened, and he said: "What Xiaomin said about General Ding is General Ding Hu Ding of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion of the Western Army. ”

Hearing the old man say this, the face of the black-faced official changed slightly, and the faces of the other officials were even more shocked.

The black-faced official stared at the old man and asked in a deep voice: "Dare to make a fool of the people, dare to climb the banner of the imperial court general and deceive!" Then he turned his head and ordered the official behind him: "Take it for me!"

Suddenly, the two sturdy and menacing officials turned over and dismounted and went straight to the old man, and they were about to be caught with their bare hands.

When everyone saw this, they were shocked, and they knelt down one by one, not daring to raise their heads.

Seeing this, the old man's face also changed, and he immediately retorted: "Official, Xiaomin's words are true, there is no lie, why did the official arrest me?"

After hearing this, the black-faced official raised his hand to stop the official who was arresting the old man with his bare hands, and asked coldly: "Tell me, how did you know that General Ding belonged to the military department?"

Suddenly, a thick murderous aura emanated from his body, and everyone felt such a strong murderous aura that they were so frightened that they didn't dare to raise their heads.