Xunyang County, Luhe (Luhe) shop.

The Lu River flows from the mountains in the south to the north to join the Han River, and also forms a "U" shaped bay, alluvial large areas of arable flat land. Such cultivation conditions are rare in Jinzhou, which is full of mountains.

Further west, the Chong River (Ba River) also joins the Han River, only 500 meters from the mouth of the Lu River.

Counting the tributaries of the Chong River, it is equivalent to the convergence of four rivers, and it is very interesting to set up toll stations.

However, the official tax dispatch agency used to have only one tea shop. After Cai Jing reformed the tea law three times, even the tea market was abolished, and merchants could buy and sell tea with tea quotations, and they no longer had to go through the official intermediary channels of the tea market.

The real legal toll station is in Xunyang County, fifteen miles downstream!

Qian Chen dragged his fat body ashore, and after a few steps, he was out of breath, pointing to the private column and asking, "Who is responsible here?" ”

A clerk ran quickly: "Dare to ask Shangguan what kind of business he has?" ”

Qian Chen took out his official card, and then took out the official document issued by Zhizhou: "Too observant of the order, ban all private columns in the five counties of Jinzhou, why hasn't the column head here been removed?" ”

The tax collector laughed and said, "The good teacher knows that we didn't levy taxes on passing ships, but only on the grass market shops in Luhepu. ”

Qian Chen's face darkened, and he pointed to the few boats docked by the river: "Are you a fool for me?" What are the ships doing? ”

The official explained: "Those merchant ships are all docking for supplies. ”

"Check the accounts!"

Qian Chen didn't bother to listen to his quibbles.

Afraid that this fat man would be beaten when he went out, Zhu Ming sent Zhang Bo and Li Bao to follow. They rushed into the toll booth with more than 20 village soldiers and ordered all tax collectors not to move around at will.

Qian Chen found an account book, without the slightest loophole, and sure enough, only taxes were collected from the shops in the town.

There are policies above, and there are countermeasures below.

The officials of Xunyang County did not openly disobey Zhizhou's orders, at least they did enough on the surface.

Qian Chen asked the tax collector to open the warehouse, looked at the two boxes full of copper coins, as well as a lot of herbs, leather goods and other physical goods, and immediately sneered: "There are more than 20 shops in the grass market, can you collect so many taxes?" Foolish! Search, dig three feet into the ground and search out, there must be a set of private accounts! ”

After searching for a long time, I couldn't find my private account.

Zhang Bo reminded: "You can search those merchant ships. ”

Qian Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered: "Go and search the merchant ships to see if there are any ships carrying tea." ”

Not long after, the villagers came back and reported: "There are two tea ships, and the ships are all this year's wax tea and early spring tea." ”

"Bring the shipowner here!" Qian Chen said.

The owner of the ship was a middle-aged tea merchant, and when he saw Qian Chen, he hurriedly bowed down.

Qian Chen asked, "Can you be intercepted and collect taxes?" ”

The tea merchant did not dare to talk nonsense, for fear of retaliation from the officials: "There is no tax here. ”

Qian Chen smiled and asked, "Where is the businessman?" ”

The tea merchant replied: "The grass people are from the Guanghua Army, and there are tea leads. ”

Qian Chen said: "Since he is a foreign businessman, he doesn't know that he is too guarded in Benzhou, and he is checking the private column for taxation. Cai Xiang Sanyi Tea Law, merchants lead the sale of tea, and if the prefectures and counties they pass through, they are intercepted and taxed by the local government. Sixty rods for one day; Block for two days, add two and so on. Blocked for three days and sentenced to one year's imprisonment. Blocked for six days and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Officials who collect taxes privately will never be dismissed from their posts. If there is a person who receives money, he will be disposed of as self-theft, and the officials will be stabbed for thousands of miles! As a tea merchant, if you conceal it and don't report it, you can be punished together! ”

The above punishment content was formulated by Cai Jing himself.

Sichuan Gorge and Guangnan Zhulu are still using the tea horse method. For the rest of the way, use the tea method.

In the past ten years, Cai Jing has revised the tea quotation method three times, constantly filling in various loopholes. In order to prevent the local government from indiscriminately collecting tea taxes and delaying the central government's collection of wealth, the criminal law has been set extremely severely.

The tea merchant was shocked, looked at Qian Chen, and then looked at the tax collector, not knowing what to do.

Qian Chen threatened: "Even the people and the boat are detained." If it is found out that a tax collector has received wealth privately, the tax collector and the merchant will stab them for thousands of miles. The decree set by Cai Xiang is excellent, and local officials should strictly enforce it. ”

"Officials spare their lives!" The tea merchant was so frightened that he knelt down.

He only came to buy tea and transport it to other places, and the extra taxes were a last resort, and if he was exiled for thousands of miles, it would be a disaster.

As soon as the tea merchants knelt, the faces of the tax collectors changed drastically.

Qian Chen also said: "If there is a person who makes a report, he can be exonerated from the crime. ”

"I want to report!"

"I'm going to report it too!"

The little minions among the tax collectors shouted one after another. They only followed to drink some soup, and it was too nonsense to be exiled for thousands of miles for that little money.

A few minutes later, a set of private accounts for indiscriminate tax collection was found through the cracks in the wall.

Qian Chen took down the account book and said to the head of the officials: "You take someone back and explain it to the officials of Xunyang County." This first offense can be forgiven, if it is a second offense, the new account and the old account will be counted together! Even the county order will be impeached. Hehe, you have violated Cai Xiang's decree. ”

It is possible to set up a column and collect taxes in the town, but the object of collection can only be the store that takes the opportunity to intercept passing business travelers.

Of course, the column head will be retained, but the tax collectors will not need so much, and the county officials will remove it themselves.

"The taxes are seized and taken away!" Qian Chen gave another order.

People can be put, money must be left.

Although Cai Jing's tea introduction law is strict, the more remote the place, the more serious the phenomenon of indiscriminate tea tax.

Take Chuanxia Fourth Road as an example, Chengdu Fu Road, Zizhou Road, and Lizhou Road implement the tea horse method, while Kuizhou Road implements the tea introduction method.

The terrain of Kuizhou Road is complex, poor and remote, and it is also a special case among the four roads in the Sichuan Gorge. So the local officials began to mess around, privately levying tea tolls, a boatload of tea from Kuizhou Road, the tax is already several times the price of tea, a few years to destroy the local tea industry, the surviving tea plantation owners are all engaged in smuggling.

Qian Chen said to the tea merchant again: "Go back and tell the tea merchant of the Guanghua Army that Jinzhou will not teach tea privately in the future, so that they can come to Jinzhou to do business with peace of mind." If you encounter a private column, you can go to the Jinzhou Yamen to complain! ”

"Yes!" The tea merchant was skeptical, half-convinced.

If it's true, it's naturally great, and they can make more money in the future.

Before this side was finished, an official ship sailed in.

Mei Kan, the left-handed Zhike who was spanked, took a few officials to escort the boat, and Yang Pu sat on the boat to guard the money.

"Don't drive the money, Taishou has a new dispatch." Mekan handed over a letter.

After Qian Chen read the letter, he was inexplicably moved: "How much does Taishou trust me!" ”

Most of the gold seized from Hengkou and the copper coins seized from the city's affairs were handed over to Qian Chen, and he was asked to take them to the south to pre-purchase grain.

It's a chore that requires a long journey, but Qian Chen is very satisfied, and he thinks it's a kind of trust.

The errand of inspecting the five counties was handed over to Mei Kan to be responsible, and Li Bao followed to supervise. This is also a test for Mei Kan, who belongs to the head of the former officials of the ya, and can be reused if he does things properly. If the matter is not good, he will be handed off directly, and let Wang Jia take over his position.

The next day, Qian Chen changed ships and set off. Zhang Bo led the township soldiers to accompany him to protect the money for grain purchases from being looted.

These more than 20 township soldiers were all recommended by Wang Jia, and some even worked as bandits. The bows and arrows in the Golden State Staff Arsenal were no longer available, and they were all equipped with the hunting bows of the mountain hunters.

It was a homemade bamboo-wood composite bow, without horns, the bow glue was boiled from animal skin, and the tendons of wild animals were used instead of cow tendons, and the effective range was less than 20 meters. And it doesn't last long in use, and it often cracks in a year or two.

However, it is enough to deal with thieves!

The official boat traveled halfway to the road, probably located in the eastern part of Baihe County in the later generations. During the Northern Song Dynasty, it was the junction of Jinzhou and Junzhou, with mountains in all directions, and the control of the government was extremely weak.

While they were on the shore in the evening, they suddenly killed more than a dozen small boats from the tributaries of the Han River.

Official ships often mean that there are goods, and it is strange that only one travels alone and is not targeted by thieves.

"The village soldiers are in place!" Zhang Bo yelled.

Qian Chen was so frightened that he trembled, but he dared to come out: "Can Brother Zhang Xian hold it?" ”

Zhang Bo said: "Don't drive, please enter the warehouse for a while." ”

Qian Chen hurriedly ran back again, he stayed outside purely to make trouble, and it was best to leave the matter of the fight to the professionals.

Zhang Bo's battle formation skills are not good, but his heads-up skills are quite rebellious, and he also knows how to command battles.

He told the boatmen to sail to shore at once, and then divided more than 20 village soldiers in groups of two, and ordered: "Don't shoot arrows if you are too far, and shoot again when you get closer." ”

The officer ship is large in size and the small boat is fast.

More than a dozen small boats of thieves quickly circled around and planned to surround the official ship.

Zhu Ming's telescope is on Zhang Bo at the moment.

He observes the enemy through a telescope and looks carefully for the thieves who give orders. Soon the target was confirmed, and there was a thief half-crouched in the bow of the ship, holding a knife in his right hand, making various movements in his left hand, and holding a bamboo whistle in his mouth.

I saw the head of the thief go around the side of the official ship, and Zhang Bo also ran over, took out his bow and arrows, and planned to shoot - what he had in his hand was not a hunting bow, but a birch bow brought from Puzhou.

"Appeal !!"

When the bamboo whistle blew, the thieves threw hooks and ropes at the official ships, and even shot arrows with little power.

The villagers condescended, waited for the thief ship to approach, and also returned fire with hunting bows.

"Whoosh!"

Zhang Bo bent his bow and set up an arrow, aimed at the thief's head, and shot it with an arrow.

At a distance of less than ten meters, for the sake of insurance, Zhang Bo still shot at the chest of the thief leader, how could there be any reason for not being able to shoot?

"The head of the thief is dead!"

Zhang Bo shouted.

The thieves were shocked, and they rowed back to protect the head of the thieves whose life and death were unknown. The "main battleship" retreated, and the other thief ships also retreated, leaving only a few floating corpses in the Han River.

After getting the news, Qian Chen came out again, and he said with great palpitations: "There is no danger, there is no danger, fortunately there is Zhang Xiandi to escort you." ”

Zhang Bo smiled: "It's just a few thieves, far worse than the Puzhou thieves." ”

Qian Chen sighed: "This Golden State and Junzhou are poor, the world is uneasy, and there are more and more thieves in the mountains. ”

Find a new place to dock in front of you, rest for the night and continue to set off.

After Yunxiang County (Yun County) and Wudang County, they entered the border of the Guanghua Army, and there were finally no more thieves here.

Shi Yuangong stayed in Wudang County, the state capital of Junzhou. He took a large number of iron smelters, waited for official ships and merchant ships, and went to Jinzhou together, so as not to be robbed by bandits halfway.

(End of chapter)