Illiterate?

Thinking of the information of the leaders of the villages he had read before, Tianhao couldn't help but smile. This was not the ceremonial smile that had been before, but from the heart: "This is what I am going to announce next: from now on, all village leaders, including the heads of the hundred and the officials above the reserve priesthood, must undergo training in Thunder Point City for half a year. ”

As soon as this remark came out, the audience was in an uproar and there was a lot of discussion.

"Half a year? We're going to spend half a year in Thunderhorn? ”

"Why do we need to train?"

"Nothing in the stockade? Or does the king want to bring our stockade to the city? ”

Tianhao put away his smile and his expression became serious: "Quiet! ”

He raised his voice again: "Give me silence!" ”

Seeing that the audience was calm again, the young patriarch regained his majesty: "Our Lei Niu tribe is a group with a long history. It is really not easy for the patriarchs of the past generations to diligently manage the affairs of the clan, and gradually change from a village of thousands of people to the scale it is today. However, history is history, and we cannot look at the world forever on the body of our ancestors. If we want to be stronger, we have to change. ”

Tianhao took a deep breath, left the throne, stood up, and swept the audience with a cold gaze: "It's not that I look down on you, but a large part of you here are not worthy of the position of leader at all. You don't have the power, you don't have the vision, you don't have the guts. ”

"Take you." Tianhao turned his gaze, stared at the place as if he was a benchmark, and stood up a little helplessly: "An illiterate person who can't read can actually become the leader of a village, and openly take the initiative to tell this king on this occasion, you can't even understand the newly revised clan rules...... Don't you think it's a shame? Can't you even write your own name? ”

Lidao was dumbfounded, and the others didn't dare to say a word, and only the aftermath of Tianhao echoed in the entire hall, and the heavy breathing from everyone's nostrils.

Tianhao stared coldly at the leader of Changchuan Village: "Since you can't read, you can't understand the orders issued by this king." Presumably, this kind of thing is usually the responsibility of the priest in the village, and he takes care of everything for you? ”

“…… Yes. The burly and sturdy Standing Dao uttered a voice with great reluctance.

"You didn't think about learning to write?" Tianhao's questioning was extremely harsh: "This kind of thing doesn't take too much time. ”

“…… I ......" A painful and embarrassed expression appeared on the face of the leader of Changchuan Village: "I have to feed the people in the village, I really don't have the heart to think about anything else!" ”

Tianhao asked quickly: "Changchuan Village has paid 50% of the tax and grain this year, this is the reason for hunger?" ”

Lidao didn't hear the deep meaning of the young patriarch's words, he "pounced" and knelt on the ground, looking very depressed: "Your Highness Qiqi, our village is located in a remote area, although there is a river, but the place near the village that can grow grain is very small, if you don't hunt and don't dig more wild vegetables in the summer, many people will starve to death." I...... I really don't have time to learn! ”

"Stand up! This king didn't let you kneel and talk! Tianhao let out an angry roar, which frightened the leader of Changchuan Village into jumping up from the ground, which was completely reflexive speed.

"The annual tax and grain quota stipulated by the ethnic group is only 30 percent, if you pay according to this percentage, will the people in your village still starve?" Tianhao asked a different way.

Lidao was stunned, he quickly calculated in his heart, and quickly came up with an answer: "It's almost enough, the rest can be made up with prey." ”

After saying this, he was quite frightened and asked anxiously, "...... Your Highness, only 30% of the amount is too little. That one...... Are you really okay with that? ”

Tianhao sneered and asked, "Who told you that this king will charge fifty percent of the tax grain?" ”

He licked his thick lips and replied hesitantly, "Everyone does this." When we paid grain this year, some people said that 50 percent was too little, and other villages paid 60 percent, or even more......

Tianhao's face sank, and he roared: "How are the clan rules written?" ”

"I can't read." Lidao's answer was completely instinctive, and he immediately reacted that he shouldn't say this, and quickly changed his words: "The annual grain tax paid is 30 percent, and it is the same for all villages. ”

"In that case, why don't you follow the rules?"

Tianhao turned slowly, his majestic gaze sweeping over the other participants, and settled on a tall and thin man.

"Zhikun, the leader of Weipingzhai, stand up." He gave an irresistible order.

The loud volume had a shocking effect: an old man in his sixties, with a wrinkled face, almost white hair, and a sparse white beard on his chin and cheeks, suddenly bounced out of his chair. The young patriarch's orders were like springs to him, instinctively in intense fear and fright.

"Your Highness...... I...... I'm Zhikun. He stumbled in response.

Tianhao turned around and picked up a report from the wooden table next to the throne, which was the information that had been prepared before. He stared at Zhikun with indifferent eyes, and raised the report in his hand high, so that everyone in the hall could see it: "The entire Lei Niu Department, this year, your Weiping Village will pay the most taxes and grains." I'm talking about the quota, not the quantity, which is 95 percent. ”

These words reverberated like a storm.

The people were stunned, and then erupted in countless exclamations and discussions.

"The gods are above, ninety-five percent, this ...... It's true? ”

"Oh my God, it's incredible."

"Zhikun must be crazy, he handed over so much food, what will the people of Weipingzhai eat next year?"

Tianhao paced on the platform, and he kept going back and forth with the throne as the center. Not to mention that there are hundreds of village leaders in the audience, even if he has excellent psychological quality, when he first saw this grain tax payment report, he was also surprised by such a high payment amount, which led to thoughts in the depths of his mind.

He knew it would take a little time for this to ferment. The excessively high rate of tax and grain contributions is not appropriate, and if we want to fundamentally change this practice, we need to find a model for accountability.

Tianhao was very patient, he waited until everyone in the audience was talking about it, and the voice gradually sank, then he raised his hands and made a downward pressing motion. Tianhao slowly withdrew his hand, with the unique majesty and solemnity of the king of the tribe, his eyes were like an invisible iron cage, firmly covering Zhikun who was standing in place.

"According to this ratio, there is almost no grain in Weipingzhai. Even if you get through this winter, what will you do next year? How did you survive the spring famine? What do you use as seeds for spring ploughing? ”

Zhikun's old face turned pale, and he groveled and hurriedly replied: "Your Highness Qiqi, I ...... I have sent out a hunting team and caught a batch of prey. ”

"How many exactly?" Tianhao's tone was cold, and he didn't intend to let him go like this.

"Two deer, some hares, and ...... And ......" Zhikun kept licking his lips, his head half-bowed, his anxious eyes constantly searching between the back of the seat in front of him and the floor, as if there was a hidden answer for himself somewhere.

"Two deer, six hares, and nothing else." Tianhao stopped his useless thinking in a serious voice: "There are more than 2,000 people in Weiping Village, how long can you eat this little thing?" ”

The accurate data shattered the last bit of reliance in Zhikun's heart, he tilted his body, fell to the ground heavily, his forehead was covered with cold sweat, and pleaded bitterly: "Your Highness Qiqi, I am loyal to you!" Grain...... I didn't keep any of the grain in my possession, and I handed it all over to the public warehouse in the city. The warehouse manager inspected it during the handover, and I really didn't deceive Your Highness! ”

"This king didn't say you lied to me."

Tianhao let out a heart-palpitating low roar: "I have read the statistical reports over the years: ten years ago, the population of Weipingzhai exceeded 5,000, that is, from that time, you began to pay an ultra-high amount of grain tax, and it reached 60% that year. Since then, the annual grain tax you pay has been higher and higher, 70 percent, 80 percent, 90 percent...... This year, it has reached the peak, reaching 95 percent. In turn, the number of people in Weipingzhai is getting smaller and smaller every year, and now there are only two thousand seven hundred and three, which still counts the four children who were born last month. ”

Zhikun, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly straightened up, his mouth wide open, his eyes widened, and he looked at the young patriarch standing on the stage in disbelief.

This figure is too accurate, and the new patriarch knows everything about the situation in Weiping Village.

"In ten years, nearly half of the people are gone, should you give this king a reasonable explanation?" Tianhao didn't intend to let him go like this.

"I ...... I sold some people...... Swap for food. Zhikun was terrified, and finally found this reason that seemed to be able to prevaricate the past.

Tianhao jumped off the platform and strode into the crowd with a fierce and wild momentum. The distance between the front and back of the row of seats was very wide, he walked in from the left passage, until he came to Zhikun, the people around him stood up one after another, the order of the venue was instantly disrupted, and the leaders formed a circle with Tianhao as the center, no one dared to speak at such a time, they watched the development of the situation in silence.

"It's understandable to sell a few people when you don't have enough to eat." Tianhao's appearance was very calm, but he revealed the danger before the beast preded: "But nearly half of the people in the village have been sold...... It's not normal, and it can't be justified. ”

“…… I...... The crops in the field are not good, and I ...... I can't feed them. Zhikun searched the intestines and scraped the stomach to find a reasonable basis.

Tianhao looked at him calmly: "Is it really that difficult?" As long as the amount of grain tax paid is reduced, there should be no problem in maintaining 70 percent of the grain stock until the next year's harvest season, even if it does not feed everyone. ”

“…… Yes. Despite his reluctance, Zhikun had to admit it.

"Niu Weibang has never issued an announcement requiring villages to increase the amount of grain tax payment." Tianhao's tone became cold: "Why are you doing this? ”

“…… I ......" Zhikun was speechless for a while, and he suddenly felt that all the answers he had prepared in advance had lost their effect.

"Don't tell me it's loyalty." Tianhao looked at him forcefully: "I don't mean to slander the first king, but you have to understand that the biggest difference between me and Niu Weibang is that I have been in charge of a village, and I know what is going on with the grain tax that exceeds the normal amount, and I also know very well why you do this." ”

There are charcoal basins burning around the main hall, and there are special heating pipes on the outside of the walls, kneeling in the warm environment, the elderly Zhikun feels chills all over his body, and he can't help but tremble. He saw the gaze of the predator in Tianhao's eyes, and knew that he was in danger, but all this was irrefutable, and the huge and unshirkable responsibility was like a mountain pressing on his head, unable to be unloaded, unable to relax, and unable to escape.

"Ten years ago, you were fifty-one." Tianhao's tone was steady, and there was a hint of sarcasm in it: "You have been planning to get a surname since then, you want to become a nobleman. ”

Zhikun bent over, and his upper body, which couldn't stand upright, was almost lying on the ground. He couldn't refute it, and he didn't dare to defend it.

"It's good to have goals, so that you can motivate people and generate strong fighting spirit." The young patriarch's words hit Zhikun's heart like a hammer: "You can get the surname in other ways. War exploits, work hard to run their own villages, and strive for a population of more than 10,000. ”

“…… It's too hard. Zhikun cried: "All the cultivated land has been used, but Pingzhai is surrounded by mountains, and crops cannot be grown." ”

"Why can't you go north?" Tianhao asked coldly: "As long as you climb over the mountain on the back, there is a lake, and there is a large plain there. Don't say 5,000 people, even if you feed 50,000 people, it's not a problem...... Hum! Don't tell me you don't know that place. ”

Zhikun was stunned, he stopped crying, raised his head, and looked at the young patriarch standing in front of him blankly, even forgetting to wipe the tears and snot from his face.

"You didn't even think about changing the status quo." Tianhao hit the nail on the head and pointed to the core of the problem: "You only want to use the easiest way to get a surname and become a nobleman." Anyway, you have enough food at home, even if all the people in the village starve to death, it will not be a pain to you. Ninety-five percent of the food tax amount...... If it is true that people are old, they will be unscrupulous and fearless in doing things. ”

A huge fear suddenly came, Zhikun felt that the blood was frozen, and he finally made his stiff body shake a little, opened his lips, shrunk and pleaded slyly: "I was wrong, please spare me this time, Your Highness." I...... When I go back, I will take people over the mountains to the lake area in the north to open up wasteland, and next year I promise to ......."

Tianhao interrupted him: "You don't have a chance anymore. With so many people dead, do you think you are still qualified to continue to sit in the position of leader? ”

"By the way, your family has been taken from Weiping Village by order of me. Ten years, almost three thousand people, you and your family, have to pay for it. ”

"No!" Zhikun suddenly woke up from his stunnedness, and he let out a trembling roar: "You can't do this! ”