There is a space for passenger planes in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 16 Large households collectively resist taxes
  Two days after Ding Yingqi and others conspired, Lin Feng indeed encountered difficulties. The core of the difficulty is that the county government has no money, and it is impossible to pay out the salaries of subordinate officials in mid-July.

Although it is not a problem that can be solved with money, Lin Feng, to be precise, the county government has no money and will soon be unable to operate.

Although more than 2,000 taels were confiscated from homes in the early stage, about 1,000 taels were used to clean up the subordinate staff and pay off various arrears of the county government. More than 1,000 taels were handed over to County Magistrate Zhang, saying that they were used for other purposes. You can't ask him to get this back.

"Sir, the first batch of summer taxes should have been paid at the beginning of the month, but the big households in the county seem to have made an appointment and haven't paid any of them. Ordinary people will not have money until they sell their summer grain next month. I heard that now You can't even borrow money.

Ding Dianshi was responsible for this tax in the past. Although the big households would ask for some exemptions, they all paid it on time. There must be a problem this time. "Su Shunnian, the newly appointed secretary of Hufang, came to report.

"Oh, it seems that someone is unwilling to be lonely. How much does this county government's monthly salary require?" Lin Feng asked.

"The county government has more than 500 officials in each house plus government servants. Except for the three adults whose salaries are paid by the state government, the rest have to be raised by the county itself. One month's monthly salary plus the county government's meal expenses , at least taels are needed. In addition to some other official expenses, some more may be added." Su Shunian replied.

"It's not much. I'll find a way." Lin Feng heard that it was only five or six hundred taels, so that's okay. He still had more than 2000 taels in his own space. He might as well use it first.

"Sir, the county government's expenses are not too high, and there have been arrears in the past. The big one is that at the end of the month, in addition to the additional 5000 taels in wages, the first batch of summer taxes of no less than 6000 taels must be paid to the state government. The government office is also waiting for the rice to be put into the pot, and it is very urgent. The two sums add up to eleven thousand taels." Su Shunian continued to report.

"This is indeed not a small number. Have you finished the statistics on the tax arrears of large households that I asked you to count?"

"After statistics, even based on the number of acres they registered, the total arrears in the past two years are nearly 20,000 taels."

"Okay, you invite all these big business owners here tomorrow, and I'll talk to them about paying taxes."

"Sir, I'm afraid it's useless to say anything!"

"It's really useless to say it? Maybe some people are still reasonable?"

"Sir, someone must be instigating this. Just persuasion will not help." Su Shunnian almost burst into tears. How could Lin County Cheng be so naive.

"It's okay. We should be polite first and then attack. We can't punish them without teaching them." Lin Feng finally said.

After sending Su Shunnian away, Lin Feng went to the strong squad barracks. Sun Jiewu, the squad leader, was leading the off-duty yamen officers in training. Fang Tiezhu used a pure iron spear to make a fuss. This force value obviously suppressed him. Other government officials.

In his later life, Lin Feng often sat in an office and lacked training, and his original body before time travel was also very average. Recently, because his body needs to continuously store energy, and he also exercises in space every day, he feels that his physical fitness is much better.

Lin Feng's hands were itchy for a moment, so he also walked off the training ground. He picked up a stone lock weighing at least 50 kilograms with one hand and lifted it up. He also threw it in the air and exchanged it with his left and right hands. Immediately, he won warm applause from the Zhuang class yamen officers.

"Sir, you are so amazing. You can bring peace to the country with civility and peace with military force!" Sun Jiewu immediately came up to praise him, and also thought of a word that represented his highest cultural level.

"Haha, I haven't exercised in a long time. I will train with you more when I have time next time."

"Thank you for your concern, sir. It would be a great honor for us."

"How is everyone's morale lately? Do we have enough weapons?" Lin Feng took the towel handed over by Fang Tiezhu and asked while wiping his sweat.

"After your Excellency gave us more food money last time, we all ate much better and our morale was very high. Weapons have just been allocated from the military warehouse and there is currently no shortage."

"Brothers, you must not deduct money from your meal, otherwise I won't be able to spare you." "Don't worry, sir, it will never happen. We are all just brothers who are just trying to get food. Who can do such an immoral thing?"

"Okay, you guys have to train hard these days. I have an important task for you next." Lin Feng said.

"Understood, I promise to complete the task." Sun Jiewu said.

Lin Feng then told Fang Tiezhu alone, asking him to cultivate a few more reliable confidants, keep an eye on Zhuangban, and report any situation at any time, before returning to the county magistrate's office.

Lin Feng judged that Ding Yingqi must be behind these large households' collective tax resistance. To solve this problem later, the most reliable guarantee is the force of Zhuangban.

The next morning, a prestigious gathering of squire and landlords in Fugu County, which was essentially a meeting to collect tax arrears from large households, was held in the lobby of the county government office. Seeing that it was an obviously embarrassing meeting, the county magistrate excused himself from attending due to physical discomfort.

Since the county government was about to go bankrupt, Lin Feng had no plans to have a meal, so he made a cup of crude tea as a friendly gift, which would probably result in a loss.

Sure enough, after Su Shunian, the household and housing secretary, announced the tax arrears of large households, these large households complained about the bad years and no money to pay. If the county government continues to force the government, the government may force the people to rebel and There was civil unrest. A naked threat.

"Quiet, it's natural to pay taxes on this kind of land. So you are planning to resist the taxes to the end?" Lin Feng couldn't stand listening anymore and said with a serious expression.

"President Lin, this preferential treatment of the gentry is a national policy of the Ming Dynasty. In the past, every time the county government collected taxes, the county government was polite and thoughtful. You can't do this." Li Wanxiang, the head of the Li family in Fugu Nanxiang, was the first said one.

"Oh, then tell me how taxes should be collected?" Lin Feng asked as if he was not ashamed to ask.

"Of course we need to vigorously reduce taxes. Ding Dianshi is good at this. Just ask him to take charge." Li Wanxiang looked like an old god.

"What about you, do you agree with this too?"

No one spoke for a while.

"Very good, it seems you don't plan to pay taxes today?" Lin Feng then asked.

"Mr. Lin, I really don't have any money right now. Please wait a little longer." Several big business owners spoke up in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Is the head of the Liu family in Dabao Town here?"

"The head of the family is not available. I am Liu Sanjin, the housekeeper of the Liu family. What do you want me to do?" A fat man stood up and replied.

"As for the Liu family, you have 8,000 acres of land and no money?"

"Sir, I have a big family in the Liu family. Just eating and drinking every day costs a lot of money. I really have no money recently." Butler Liu looked like I was just talking nonsense about not having money. How can you bear with me?
  "Pah!" Lin Feng threw a teacup over, and Liu Sanjin screamed as the hot tea was boiling.

"This is to show your face, isn't it? A bullshit housekeeper comes here and acts like a fool. Your Liu family has money for expenses, food and drink, but you don't have money to pay taxes. You want to provide eye drops for the county government, right?

Go back and tell your family master that if you don't pay the tax arrears within five days, don't blame me for being unforeseen. The same goes for you all. "Lin Feng glanced at the big players in the venue, and then walked away.

(End of this chapter)