The capital city of Kuizhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and all kinds of houses are lined up one after another, continuing upwards in turn. The southern wall is at the embankment near the river, while the government is at the top of the hill and has an observation tower.

Standing on the attic and looking down, you can see it clearly and clearly from the river embankment ferry outside the city wall to the wine shops and restaurants that can be seen everywhere in the high places. Behind the palace is the north gate, which can lead directly to the lotus pond, which is the official residence of the Kuizhou Thorn History.

The huge difference between the height and the height of the city makes it not have the boxy of Chang'an, the square market of the big city and the big city, and there are no various defensive fortresses, not even a fixed market, but it is full of vitality and vitality, as well as a strong and deformed commercial atmosphere.

Pedestrians and vehicles and ships are constantly coming and going, and porters of goods abound.

The ferry port on the river embankment is very large, there are many fleets of boats that flow in, there are several rows of large and small boats parked along the coast, the workers unload the goods on the boats, and the porters in the city are waiting in line to pick up the goods into the city.

There are also many fishermen and boatmen, who use special square stoves to make fires on the boats.

It can even be said that the entire Kuizhou City is a giant bazaar!

With breath, with vitality.

Fang Chongyong looked at this beautiful scene in the attic, and felt a little emotion in his heart.

"Guarding a mountain of gold, he is still calling himself poor, it is really rotten wood that cannot be carved."

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly and said.

Zheng Shuqing was a little unexpected, in Fang Youde's eyes, maybe this is a real corrupt official, but in Fang Chongyong's view, in the feudal era, this kind of local bureaucracy is already rare.

No one can transcend the limitations of the times.

But the really powerful one is Li Linfu behind him! Kuizhou's various governance policies are all instructed by Li Linfu behind his back.

Fang Chongyong yawned, didn't close his eyes all night, and asked Zheng Shuqing about the people of Kuizhou overnight, and a strange thought suddenly popped up in his mind:

The tariffs were robbed, and a month has passed, and it is hard to imagine that the center of the imperial court in the Tang Dynasty would not deal with Zheng Shuqing's loss of the Kuizhou Jiangguan tariff! Not to mention that the misappropriation of tariffs was half a year ago!

What is certain is that not only Li Linfu knows about this matter, but even Li Longji must know about it.

However, to this day, Zheng Shuqing is still doing the history of Kuizhou Assassination steadily, and no one has taken it down! Then this can show that this matter is within the scope of the acquiescence of the imperial court, and it may even be "not a matter at all"!

Fang Chongyong had a conjecture in his heart, but he didn't dare to be sure. Because it's so arrogant and bizarre, beyond the limits of what people can imagine. But all kinds of signs kept pointing to that conjecture, which made him extremely anxious in his heart.

Fang Laique was detained by Zheng Shuqing as a hostage, and within three days, Fang Chongyong had to find a way to make money...... He understands very well that he can get this opportunity because his father Fang Youde is supervising the imperial history, and Zheng Shuqing is willing to cooperate, if he is just an ordinary civilian, he is afraid that he has been murdered now.

A party is in charge of the military, government and civil affairs of a state, who is willing to be at the mercy of a yellow-mouthed child who has no official position?

Before tearing his face, Zheng Shuqing could give Fang Youde a face, this is the rule of officialdom.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! ”

"Boom! Boom! Boom! ”

Suddenly the drums beat in the city!

"The wingmen have burned the mountain!"

"The wingmen have burned the mountain!"

"The wingmen have burned the mountain!"

Someone in the government shouted at the top of his voice.

With this shout, as if they felt something, the pedestrians who were still wandering around in the city entered the nearest restaurant in an orderly manner, and the porters rushed to the ferry.

The streets, which were originally bustling with activity, were empty in an instant, and all kinds of shops closed in a very short time.

"So you're still here, but it's easy for me to find you."

Zheng Shuqing's voice came from behind him, and he seemed to be relieved. Fang Chongyong turned to him and said, "A certain Guankuizhou capital city is prosperous, and it is not difficult to make up the tariffs. I already have an idea, but I still need time to verify it. ”

Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing was overjoyed, and he didn't care about the humility of the upper and lower levels, and pulled Fang Chongyong's arm and said excitedly: "Come on, come on, go to watch a good show with this official, the bureaucrats will make trouble, watch us kill them!" ”

Rebels?

Fang Chongyong was stunned, he was very suspicious, because he didn't read much, and Zheng Tingshi was lying to him like a fool! Just now I saw the residents and tourists in the city calmly avoiding the house, and I knew that such a thing would happen every three days. Zheng Shuqing probably thought that he could brush up on military merits by doing it casually?

This is not Lingnan nor Annam! This is the throat between Shu and Jingxiang, the core place of Han'er's life!

What kind of people are making trouble, and they are not afraid of the wind flashing their tongues?

"Zheng Yuanjun, it is a big sin to falsely report your military exploits. The imperial court did not pursue it before, but it was just child's play, which does not mean that it will not be pursued all the time. ”

Fang Chongyong said unceremoniously.

The refreshing thing to say bluntly will make Zheng Shuqing let down his guard, so as not to say that after the matter is completed, he will say "This coin is very, and it must not be kept".

Sure enough, Zheng Shuqing's face flashed with anger, and then he explained: "The elite soldiers of Dongyang Mansion (Fubing Military Mansion) in Wushan County, East of Kuizhou City, do not listen to the dispatch of this assassin history. Only the united soldiers in the city can be of great use. Rebellion among the bureaucrats occurs from time to time, but the government still has the merit of defending the land. ”

The implication is that the bureaucrats often do things, but in fact, they can't do anything, I just brush up on the sense of existence, there is no credit, there is still hard work.

"Envoy, in Kuizhou, as long as it is a political achievement that has nothing to do with wealth, it can all be ignored, so why should you give up the big and seek the small?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing helplessly and asked, what he could see, Zheng Shuqing couldn't see it, didn't the imperial court know that there was no "military disaster" in Kuizhou at all? If you don't have military merit and go to hard brushing, your brain is simply caught by the door.

"The way of being an official, how can you understand it for a yellow-mouthed kid like you, and you can't stop talking!"

was exposed by someone, Zheng Shuqing scolded with a blank face, and he was relieved in his heart.

A prodigy is a prodigy, and it is not taboo to be open-mouthed, so there is nothing to worry about at all. When he arrives in Chang'an, this son can be manipulated by himself at will.

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly, listened to the persuasion of others, and ate a full meal, this Zheng Thorn History, his brain is really not good. Last night, he had already learned that the situation in Kuizhou was simply off the charts! He talked with Uncle Zheng all night and got a clear picture of the situation here!

Not to mention the mountainous and small fields in Kuizhou, the hundreds of hectares of paddy fields near the mountain springs, the "red lotus rice" planted are all royal tribute, and not a single grain of rice is left to the local area! The officials directly appointed by the imperial court are responsible for the daily management, harvesting and shipment, and they are no more than the hands of Zheng Shuqing, the assassin of Kuizhou.

This Zheng Tingshi also wants to know what the taste of red lotus rice is, when he was in Chang'an before, he once heard a child of the clan say that after eating the rice made of red lotus rice, there is a fragrance in the bowl of rice, and it will not disperse for a long time!

What a luxurious treat!

Of course, it's just a bewitching commodity like red lotus rice that doesn't mention it. It's just that Datang is now implementing a "rent adjustment" system, and there is a fixed amount of how much grain and cloth each household pays!

The ordinary people in Kuizhou Mansion don't even have land, or they don't have enough land, so what do they pay rent?

The imperial court did not stipulate that people who did not have land could not pay rent, as long as the "account book" of the imperial court said that you had land, then you must have land!

As for whether there is actually one, it doesn't matter, at least that's not something that the center of the court needs to care about!

However, the locals of Kuizhou seem to be living quite nourishingly, because ordinary people here eat fish and mountain goods every day, and rely on the food supply of Shu and Jingxiang to supplement the food gap. It does not produce rice but has rice in the treasury, and it is commercialized to the extreme!

To sum it simply, Kuizhou is the slash-and-burn cultivation of the primary industry, the mediocre secondary industry, and the abnormal prosperity of the tertiary industry.

With the exception of red lotus rice, the rice produced here was uncompetitive in the fierce commercial competition and withdrew from the stage. But anyone who has a little way is unwilling to farm!

Therefore, Fang Chongyong believes that as long as there is no war, the only meaning of the existence of the Kuizhou government is to make money!

Whoever will make money, and who can provide enough money to the court, will be a good official! If more money can be provided, it will be an outstanding talent, and you can enter Chang'an and enter the center.

Zheng Shuqing thought that he would be able to make a difference by "defending the land and meritorious", and it was really a lot of fun for the second middle school boy.

Last night, Zheng Shuqing also admitted a "secret" in person, that is, one of the contents of his father Fang Youde's going to the court to complain:

The account books about money and grain in Kuizhou Mansion are fake! And it's ridiculously fake.

The local rent adjustment can't be collected at all, and the rosters in the account books are all made up! Many of them don't even match the heads, but the total number can match!

Kuizhou can't mechanically implement the tax policy of the imperial court, if it comes hard, it will force the people to rebel!

In the past, every year, the locals used the money they earned to buy grain and cloth transported from Jingxiang and Shu in the capital of Kuizhou, and handed it over to the government for rent! This is also one of the important reasons for the prosperity of Kuizhou's business.

Although Kuizhou aquatic products are developed, there is no preservation technology, so they can only eat it themselves and can't sell it at any price. As a result, the city's catering industry is extremely prosperous, providing enough meat for travelers to and from Shu.

As for the locally produced special linen, it was to be sent to Shu and Jingxiang to exchange a lot of money, and the locals who would spend time and weave ordinary cloth stupidly to hand it over to the imperial court!

Kuizhou's specialty linen cloth is loose and breathable, comfortable and comfortable, especially suitable for wearing in the hot and humid Shu and Jiangnan. In fact, Zheng Shuqing's official robe was also made of this linen, rather than the silk robe used elsewhere.

The account books of Kuizhou Mansion are fake, but the taxes handed over are real, so nothing has happened! In other words, Zheng Shuqing, including his predecessor and the previous assassin, are all doing the right thing with the wrong means, and the imperial court assessment only looks at the results!

Whether it is a real rent or a "rent tune" that residents pay to buy goods in exchange, these goods will not be written by name, and they will not be able to write the way.

Is it really only those in power who are responsible for this phenomenon? Who is holding on to the rent adjustment that has been implemented for a hundred years?

Fang Chongyong didn't know how to answer this question.

Zheng Shuqing received Li Linfu's instructions, but he went one step further, only collecting copper coins and gold, and then using these money to purchase cloth and grain in large quantities from merchants in Shu and Jingxiang, and finally transported them to other places through the Yangtze River and canals.

Kuizhou water transportation is prosperous, there are many merchants, and it is easy for the locals to make copper coins and even gold and silver, and there is no problem of difficulty in collecting money.

The government comes forward to purchase in large quantities, spend less money, buy more things, and the wholesale unit price is always lower than the retail price, which is also a unique truth in ancient and modern times. As for where the extra money goes, it's a secret, don't ask more, don't say more, don't mention more!

Those are the "legitimate income" of the bureaucracy, and even if someone sues Li Longji, they will not win! Of course, Li Linfu will not let this kind of thing happen, he will take the lion's own head!

It has always been a gray area for the government to come forward to "make the difference", and who will get the "profits". Similar behavior is legal in this day and age, to some extent.

In order to strive for political achievements, Zheng Shuqing collected taxes, in fact, he even only collected ninety percent of the imperial court quota in exchange for fame and official reputation! Fang Chongyong believes that in the eyes of the people of Kuizhou, perhaps this Zheng Tingshi is a good person, and the self-proclaimed honest father Fang Youde is a bad person.

In the future, Zheng Shuqing will be popular in Kuizhou and show the court his ability to "manage money", so it is logical to enter the center and make great achievements under the protection of Li Linfu, which is also expected.

The good and evil in the world are really complicated sometimes!

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh for a while.

However, if Uncle Zheng wants to fly on the branches, he will have to deal with the mess of tariffs in Kuizhou.

In any era, operations such as falsifying account books are illegal! If the secret of Kuizhou Mansion is "revealed", Zheng Shuqing will have to shed his skin if he does not die, many things can be done but not said!

Therefore, this Zheng Thorn Shi was also pinched to death by Li Linfu!

Thinking about miscellaneous things in his heart, Fang Chongyong was taken to the north gate by Zheng Shuqing, and saw a team of lightly armed foot soldiers coming towards him. He wore six-fold boots on his feet, a black robe with a lack of hips, a sword at his waist, a crossbow in his hand, and a quiver behind his back, each of which contained fifty arrows.

Fang Chongyong glanced at it, there were five people in each row, a total of ten columns, and a full fifty people. This is the standard configuration of a team of crossbowmen in the Tang Army, but it looks a little shabby without armor on his body.

Unity soldiers, not counting soldiers with Tang military status, can't leave the state and county, they have to go home to plow the fields after completing their military tasks, and they have no military pay in the army to just take care of food, and it is very impressive to have this equipment, and Fang Chongyong also understands their situation.

After waiting for a long time, there were only fifty people, plus a leading general, Fang Chongyong was a little stunned for a while.

With so few people, are they planning to treat the bureaucrats as paper paste?

"Zheng Yuanjun, the wingmen took advantage of the ferocity of the mountain fire, and it was the moment to vendetta against each other. Why don't we watch from the wall now, wait for the bureaucrats to be tired of killing, and then intercede as a plan. ”

The burly general stepped forward to ask Zheng Shuqing for instructions.

"Good, you have full command."

Zheng Shuqing nodded very businesslikely, his face expressionless.

The burly general took all his soldiers to the city wall, and everyone saw that the mountain fire in the distance was getting stronger and stronger, and their expressions were different. Except for Fang Chongyong, who was a little confused, the others were all relaxed, and no one took this matter too seriously.

"This one, but Wu Zhuangyuan was born."

Zheng Shuqing whispered in Fang Chongyong's ear, pointing to the back of the general, with ridicule and ridicule. After getting along for a day, he felt that this Fang Chongyong prodigy was very interesting and had an appetite for himself.

"His name is Guo Ziyi?"

Fang Chongyong was shocked, he remembered that Guo Ziyi was born in martial arts, and he was still the champion of martial arts back then!

"Guo Ziyi?"

Zheng Shuqing was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and sneered: "What Guo Ziyi, his name is Yang Ruoxu, he offended Li Xiang, and he was sent to Kuizhou." ”

What to say about this place in Kuizhou, if it is a civil affairs official, it is easy to be promoted, and it is a blessed land for local bureaucrats.

Because there are not only Jiangguan to collect customs duties, but also a commercial port to collect commercial taxes, there is no war and no military expenditure. In this way, how could it be impossible to achieve the targets set by the imperial court?

Zheng Shuqing was arranged to come here, which means that he is Li Linfu's cronies and has made a fat.

But for the generals, Kuizhou is simply hated!

There is no war here, not even civil unrest! But when aspiring generals come here, they can only watch the beautiful mountains and rivers from the top of the city, waiting for their youth to pass slowly and achieve nothing.

If a good man has made meritorious contributions, he should go to the Western Regions and go to Tibet! No matter how bad it is, I have to go to fight Khitan and go to Silla Baekje!

Li Linfu assigned Yang Ruoxu to Kuizhou, which is really a classic case of playing people to death in the physique.