Different from the doubts and panic of the townspeople, the wardens and officers and soldiers who came in the dust were shocked to see that so many people had gathered in the east of the town. They didn't know that Changshan Town was praying for rain (meeting), and when they saw that the whole town seemed to be there, only when the news of the tax leaked, these people wanted to resist together, and they couldn't help but be frightened.

The arrester of the twenty-man people, along with the officers and soldiers of the city defense battalion, was also frightened.

Although they are armed with weapons, they can't stand the number of townspeople in front of them, and the number is a hundred times that of them!

What if it really gets big......

Many of them were actually ruffians who were just dressed in the skins of the government, and immediately looked at the warden in the center of the line.

However, in the face of the 4,000 townspeople, the warden was also weak in his heart, but he couldn't show his cowardice in front of his subordinates. He coughed dryly, endured his trembling legs and stomach, led the officers and soldiers up, and shouted boldly: "What do you want to gather here, do you want to rebel?" ”

Rebel?

This is a big crime of robbing the house and killing the head!

Although the empire does not have the saying that the nine clans are punished, if they really dare to rebel, it is indispensable for three generations of a family to be beheaded. The townspeople of Changshan who came up were suddenly startled and defended in panic.

"What? Just doing something? ”

Hearing the explanation of the townspeople at the head, they all breathed a sigh of relief from the warden, down to the officers and soldiers, and the catcher. But then, their courage and anger came up. Since it is not a rebellion, what is there to be afraid of? A few thousand untouchables, can they still turn the sky upside down?

"This rain prayer (meeting) is well done." The warden twisted his sheep's horn beard, and said in a broken gong voice: "Originally, the government had something to read to you, but it happened that everyone was there, so it saved trouble." ”

He swung at his hand, and the swift hunters burst into the crowd like wolves, slashing their scabbards and smashing the townsfolk who stood in their way, splitting the way. Subsequently, the Void Cloud Dao Leader who prayed for rain on the altar was also stopped. It's just that because some nobles in the city also believe in this famous Taoist chief, these catchers didn't dare to go too far, and after taking him down, they stood aside and made room for the wardens.

Many townspeople suddenly became dissatisfied in their hearts.

The prayer for rain (meeting) was interrupted, and the altar built was even more occupied by the wardens. What if Heaven blames and refuses to rain?

It's just that the officers and soldiers who have regained their sense of prestige and fortune are stared at, and none of these townspeople dare to say anything.

Only the Void Cloud Dao Chief, who was taken off the altar, seemed to be angry, but he was actually secretly happy in his heart. He took the two hundred imperial gold coins that he had burned.

"Wait a minute!"

The warden didn't care so much, coughed lightly, and motioned to the catchers to make the surroundings quiet, and then made a majestic appearance, and said loudly: "The empire wants to use troops against the Tile Thorns in the northwest, and in order to raise money and food, it has decided to levy a 'levy on the west'. According to the per capitation, one silver coin per person per household! ”

Before his voice fell, the townspeople of Changshan Town were in an uproar, expressing strong dissatisfaction and scolding.

"Didn't it take a few days to requisition the animal power? Why do you add a Western tax? ”

"One silver coin per person...... Pity my family of more than a dozen people, this is not a way for our old Zhou family to live! ”

"These old men of the government are trying to force us to death!"

The townspeople, who did not need to be guided at all, had not recovered from the locust plague the previous year, and then had no way out due to drought and famine, and the people's resentment boiled in an instant.

A western tax is levied, one silver coin per person!

Compared to other exorbitant taxes, this tax may not seem like a lot, and it is only the income from two days of work in the quarry, but don't forget that it is calculated on a per capita basis. Many families have five or six or even more than ten people in one household, and the total amount of contributions has reached an astonishing level. If it is a different year, although the townspeople of Changshan are dissatisfied, they only dare to make a few noises at most, and in the end they still have to bow their heads obediently. But this year's drought is so severe that even the rich families in the town have no food to spare and barely make ends meet, and this life-threatening money is really impossible to come up with.

What's more, they were forcibly requisitioned from livestock only a few days ago!

Although the drought is relentless, how can it compare to the scraping of the ground by the local bureaucracy?

For a time, the resentment in the hearts of thousands of Changshan townspeople was like weeds in the fields after the rain, frantically breeding. It only takes someone to come forward and ignite these angers, and they can quickly ignite a fire. The wardens and catchers obviously did not expect the reaction of the townspeople, who had always been weak, to react so strongly, and hurriedly scolded and scolded them, which suppressed the commotion.

The officers and soldiers of the city defense battalion in armor and armed with knives played a vital role.

No one instigated and led it, and the spontaneous resistance of these Changshan townspeople alone would not make it a climate after all. But Rao is like this, and the scene that almost got out of control also scared the warden. Before coming, the other names that Yicheng County ordered were temporarily suppressed by him, and he didn't dare to throw them together at this sensitive and irritable time.

Chen Wu in the crowd seized the opportunity to fan the flames, but did not immediately provoke them completely. He knows that the show has just begun.

The first wave of commotion among the thousands of townspeople was just a rehearsal.

"Silence!"

After about a few minutes of chaos, the officers and soldiers of the city defense battalion finally silenced the townspeople around the rain prayer site. Subsequently, the warden, who announced the completion of the collection of the western tax, said another reason for their trip. This move was recognized by later historians on the mainland, and it was the main culprit that directly induced the collapse of the Qianyuan Empire.

"A few days ago, a group of daring thieves took advantage of the night to burn down the mountain temple in the east of Changshan Town and attacked the official mission. After learning of this, the city guards of Longshan Mansion and the county magistrates of Yicheng were very angry, and strictly ordered them to inspect and give bonuses. As he spoke, the warden looked around and said an astonishing number: "Whoever provides information about the attacker will be rewarded with ten gold coins if it is verified to be true." If the exact whereabouts of the thief can be provided, a reward of 50 gold coins will be awarded. If the thief can be captured, regardless of life or death, he will be rewarded with 200 gold coins! ”

Two hundred gold!

For most Changshan townspeople, the average monthly income is less than two gold coins. A few people who are willing to endure hardships will die and add another gold. The bounty for capturing the head of the thief was as high as 200 gold, which was an astronomical amount for them, a huge sum of money that could only be earned after ten years of hard work without eating or drinking.

Almost immediately, thousands of Changshan townspeople let out inhaling sounds and buzzing noises.

The previous dissatisfaction and grief over the additional levy of the Western tax were temporarily suppressed by the astonishing reward. It may not be realistic for them to capture the head of the thief, but just providing the thief's whereabouts will cost fifty gold, and this reward will be much easier to pick up. Even if the money is distributed, it will definitely be exploited by the people who handle it, and after it is in hand, it can be worth half a year's hard work.

Even a few big families in the town, such as the Sun family and the Li family, couldn't help but be moved after hearing this reward.

In the crowd, Dian Kang, who was standing in the back row of Dian Yong, also had eagerness in his eyes.

He didn't know how the black scarf thief attacked the official messenger at night and burned the mountain temple. But leaking the news to the black scarf thief was arranged by Dian Yong for him to handle it personally. The high gold coin reward undoubtedly made Dian Kang tempted. It's just that the pawn is not thin on him on weekdays, and he is an accomplice in a sense, so he forcibly suppressed his impulse.

For a quarter of an hour, no one came forward.

This result is actually not surprising. The operation of the black turban thief attacking the official at night was carried out very secretly, and there were almost no people who knew about it, which made the arresters who were ordered to investigate the case frown.

In the previous case, due to the death of the official, even the Shangguan of Longshan Mansion was alarmed. The Yicheng County Order set a deadline for them, and if they couldn't get the news to solve the case, they would be held accountable. The catchers were helpless, and the people who had put almost all their hopes on Changshan Town could provide some useful news, who would have thought that this would be the case. Do these villagers in Changshan Town really not know, or are they afraid of being retaliated against by thieves in the future?

Or maybe the prize isn't high enough?

The head catcher discussed a few words with his subordinates, argued a few words with the warden, and took out another reward that they swallowed: in addition to the bounty, if you can help the government solve the case, you can also have someone from the family to serve in the county government! In addition, even if there is a criminal record, as long as it is not the seven laws of unforgivable crimes, it can be written off.

As soon as this news was announced, it caused a far greater shock than before.