Chapter 886: The Bonus Controversy

With both sides staring at him, Crippled Liu, who had a straightforward personality, said directly: "Chief, we've been collecting road taxes for over a month now!" "Right, and the money has already been distributed. Did you not get your share?"

According to the agreement between Qianjin Stronghold and Yuheng City, twenty percent of the road taxes collected by Qianjin Stronghold from the official road had to be turned over, while eighty percent was kept for their own use. Tao Lin had distributed the money according to the bandit gang's usual rules: more work, more pay; less work, less pay.

Those like Crippled Liu, who had no opportunity to work on the official road and could only stay in the stronghold to do odd jobs, naturally received less money.

"I got it. Although the road tax money was small, it at least gave me one and a half taels of silver." It was enough to fill his stomach. Then, Crippled Liu changed his tone, "But you all got a bonus, and it was twice, right?"

If they were in Yuheng City, who in the military camp would dare to call He He Lingchuan "you" to his face? They would at least have to respectfully say "Commander He" or "Lord Commander."

But in a bandit den, there weren't so many rules and regulations.

Tao Lin's reply was even more plain and simple: "You didn't go on the road, so there's no share for you."

Crippled Liu looked left and right, as if drawing courage from the others, before holding his head high and saying: "Since there's no share for me, why is my name on the list?"

Tao Lin was stunned: "What list? Where is there a list?"

Other bandits chimed in one after another: "In the seven or eight villages and towns around Rong Village and Dabu Rock, as well as on the bulletin boards inside and outside Yuheng City, the bonus lists for Qianjin Stronghold and the Qiuhua Gang were posted the night before last."

"I counted, there are two hundred and eighty-six people in our stronghold who can get a bonus!"

"It's two hundred and sixty-seven! Are you illiterate, or can you not do math?"

"Not only is Crippled Liu on it, but the list also includes Flower Xu, who works under Liu Di."

The others gasped: "Really? Is Flower Xu really on it? I hadn't noticed."

Everyone chuckled. She was a woman whose name sounded like a man's, but she actually ran a secret brothel business on the edge of the stronghold and had contracted an occupational disease, so everyone jokingly called her "Flower."

That she could even be on the bonus list was truly the biggest joke in the world.

"And there's the baby born to Wang Er's family last year, what's his name, Wang Ying..."

"Wang Wang Yingcai!"

"Right, right, Wang Wang Yingcai. Such a tiny baby!" He was actually on the bonus list?

Everyone lived in Longchuan; they were not only fellow villagers, colleagues, and relatives, but also neighbors.

The crowd clamored, making Tao Lin's head feel like it was about to explode, while his heart grew cold.

The bonus list had actually been posted! Posted in public for all to see? This is bad!

Crippled Liu was still looking at him expectantly: "Chief, you reported this list, right? Since I'm on the list, I want my bonus too!"

Tao Lin's confidant standing nearby said sternly: "Did you go guard the checkpoint? How dare you come asking for money! There is no share for you!"

They knew among themselves that the several hundred taels of bonus money had been issued by the authorities to Chief Tao four days ago, and Chief Tao had already distributed it yesterday! It had been distributed to all the core water bandits of Qianjin Stronghold.

But the names of these core members were not on the bonus list that Tao Lin had reported to Yuheng City.

Tao Lin wasn't stupid; he couldn't possibly report all his subordinates' names to Yuheng City. What if they turned on him later? Wouldn't it be easy for them to round them all up?

So the bonus list reported the villagers and idlers around the stronghold, and it was twice the actual number of people! The reason was simple: Tao Lin wanted to claim more for those around him, so he reported an extra hundred names. The subsidy was allocated by Yuheng City anyway.

Crippled Liu stiffened his neck: "The notice says that everyone on the bonus list gets two taels of silver!"

Of course he hadn't gone to guard the road, but since he was on the official list, those two taels of silver were what he was entitled to!

Fourteen or fifteen more people emerged from the crowd, stood behind Crippled Liu, and said one after another: "My name is on the list too, Chief. I have a share as well."

They had been there for a while, just waiting for someone to step forward so they could band together to demand the money.

Tao Lin's confidant was about to start cursing again, but Tao Lin pushed him aside with a kick: "Get lost!"

What was the point of adding fuel to the fire now?

He truly hadn't expected Yuheng City to make the bonus list public to everyone! No one had ever done that before, no one! It was unreasonable!

But he had indeed reported the list himself. Now that the people on the list were coming to him for money, what was he supposed to do? It had backfired!

Seeing him standing there blankly, Crippled Liu looked left and right again and said: "Chief, are you going to pay this money or not? Give us a straight answer!"

"Yeah, are you paying or not!"

"Since we're on the list, how can you not pay!"

"If you weren't going to pay, why did you report our names?"

"Do you want us to be scapegoats later?"

As soon as the words "scapegoat" came out, Tao Lin shivered and immediately said: "What are you arguing about! Did I say I wasn't paying?"

The clamor stopped immediately, and everyone beamed: "The Chief is righteous!"

"Tomorrow, uh, three days from now, the bonus will be distributed!" When Tao Lin said this, his heart was bleeding.

Only then did the crowd leave happily.

Watching their departing backs, the confidant worried: "Chief, isn't the bonus money already...?"

It had already been distributed.

"Should we collect the money back from everyone?"

"Collect what!" No matter how much it pained him, Tao Lin knew that spilled water could not be gathered up; the money already distributed could absolutely not be taken back.

He would have to pay this extra "bonus" out of his own pocket!

Several hundred taels of silver was tens of thousands of coins; he had to pay it out of thin air to a crippled groom, a widow, a secret prostitute, and a baby not even a year old!

This time, he had truly been outmaneuvered by that Commander surnamed He!

And the bonuses wouldn't just be this once; there would be the next one, and the one after that. It seemed the authorities would post a bonus notice every time.

He couldn't use the names of idlers to claim the money anymore.

To make matters worse, He He Lingchuan had already told him that Yuheng City kept a register of Longchuan residents and had even entrusted someone to bring it to him for "verification." Tao Lin broke into a cold sweat the moment he saw it, because seven or eight out of ten matched, and he didn't know how the other side had quietly obtained this data.

But with this, reporting fabricated names for bonuses to Yuheng City wouldn't work anymore; a quick verification from both sides would expose the ruse, and it would be embarrassing.

Should he just give up on this bonus? As soon as this thought appeared, Tao Lin immediately dismissed it.

Are you kidding? Tell the water bandits that the silver falling from the sky shouldn't be taken? He didn't want to sit in the Chief's chair anymore, did he?

Then he would have to report the real list.

Tao Lin steadied himself and called someone over: "Go find out how the Qiuhua Gang is handling this!"

Yuheng City's vicious scheme wouldn't be used on him alone; the Qiuhua Gang must have fallen for it too.

In less than half a day, the news came back: the leader of the Qiuhua Gang, Xu Xu Zeshou, hadn't distributed the bonus yet. Once the public list came out, he planned to split the money, meaning both the people on the list and the actual core members would get a share.

This also matched Tao Lin's understanding of Xu Xu Zeshou: a stingy person, a miser.

(End of chapter)