Chapter 1048: This Is Called a Cleaning Fee?

"All of you possess skills; without a sturdy physique, you could not even become killers. Yet previously, while you mixed among the Auxiliary Army doing labor, though you did not eat your fill, you at least had food. Since the Prefectural Office has stripped you of your Auxiliary Army status, it cannot let you go hungry. Therefore, you are assigned to the Prefectural Office's Bureau of Works, and some land will be distributed to you for cultivation. All such land belongs to the prefecture's public fields, taxed at one-tenth. In years of famine, no tax shall be levied. Private mortgaging or trading is forbidden; violators shall be tattooed and exiled to the Western Xia border."

"The land belongs to the prefecture's public fields. If any official seizes this land, that official shall be dismissed and their family assets confiscated. If any powerful household dares to seize this land, I will surely cause their family to be ruined and their lineage extinguished. You must remember this point clearly. Even if I leave Hangzhou, should such an incident occur in this prefecture, I will certainly find a way to make someone pay the price. For that is not oppressing you; it is oppressing me. Should such matters arise, you must by all means find a way to inform me; I will certainly not let those rats have an easy time."

"In your leisure time, you may cultivate at home. Beyond cultivation, you may use your skills to earn money to supplement your household expenses; the government will not interfere. If this prefecture requires bridge building or road repair, you must come to work. The Prefectural Office already has regulations for this: during work days, two meals are provided—one thin porridge, one dry rice—and money is issued, as this is hiring you to work for the prefecture. This matter is like the public fields; if any official dares to embezzle your hard-earned wages, report it to me, and I will certainly not let him have an easy time."

"As soon as Wang Yan's voice fell, these craftsmen began buzzing noisily, filled with doubt, anticipation, and complex emotions."

"At present, Wang Yan actually lacks popular support. Because he has had little contact with the common people, few deeds of governing for the people have been circulated and praised."

"But in reality, he has indeed accomplished much work; merely by dealing with a few powerful households and purging the prefectural and provincial officials once, he overturned a large batch of unjust, false, and erroneous cases, rendering judgments for many who had nowhere to appeal."

"However, the Prefect of Hangzhou is Fan Zhongyan. Wang Yan indeed has a considerable reputation among the people, but ultimately, he still does not compare to Fan Zhongyan. He belongs to the category of those working under Fan Zhongyan's leadership; in the end, the one who harvests the people's hearts is still Fan Zhongyan, while he himself harvests only a very small portion."

"What he has harvested more of is the hearts of the officials and the hearts of the powerful noble families. Due to information asymmetry, the vast common people do not know the power of Vice-Prefect Wang, but they do. And speaking practically, compared to Fan Zhongyan, they fear Vice-Prefect Wang even more. After all, the ruling class of Hangzhou, including the scholars, knows very clearly that Wang Yan has sidelined Fan Zhongyan; currently, Hangzhou is governed by Vice-Prefect Wang."

"And among all provincial officials over the years, he holds the highest power, unmatched by anyone..."

"Wang Yan paid no heed to the people's buzzing, merely waving his hand, whereupon officials naturally led them away. Subsequently, Wang Yan set up stoves outside the city, boiled water to brew tea, and began chatting with some scholars who had gathered enough courage to approach."

"The question asked most often was actually about the new academy; naturally, the scholars were more concerned with such matters."

"Wang Yan had nothing to hide and informed everyone of the plans already finalized. The academy is named 'Xihu Academy,' divided into numerous zones, featuring small-class instruction, large-class lectures, and the great hall capable of holding a thousand people that he mentioned earlier, along with a military drill ground and the like. As for other landscaping with rocks and winding waters, there is no need to mention them further."

"Most importantly, a library building is to be constructed for people to read."

"Overall, it was still very well received. Only the scholars understood exactly how much Wang Yan had done to provide everyone with a better learning environment. After all, among them, those who previously had some reputation and were relatively generous scholars were already on the road to the Western Xia border..."

"As they chatted, time passed, and the Auxiliary Army soldiers undergoing elimination through running began to return sporadically."

"Minor officials registered them in order of arrival; ultimately, out of more than five hundred people, only slightly over one hundred and twenty were qualified. As for those unqualified, there is no need to say much: those who were ordinary soldiers were directly allocated land, while those who were officers required further investigation before a decision could be made; some might be allowed to stay and farm, while others might be exiled to the border. The evaluations from other soldiers served as an important reference item."

"Wang Yan was never strict in his demands of others; embezzling some money was understandable under such circumstances. If the amount was not too large, and they treated their subordinates reasonably well without harming others, it could basically be ignored. Conversely, of course, was not acceptable; they would still have to pay the price."

"The Auxiliary Army was originally under the jurisdiction of the Prefectural Office. As Wang Yan was the de facto top leader, not to mention that his own authority as Vice-Prefect overlapped with that of the Prefect, handling the local Auxiliary Army was naturally without any flaw. One only needed to submit documents to the Policy Council and the Bureau of Military Affairs to inform them."

"As for the officers of the Auxiliary Army from top to bottom, senior officers needed to be dispatched by the Bureau of Military Affairs, while the numerous mid- and low-ranking officers were filled by locals. Wang Yan had no use for senior officers; those dispatched to serve as Auxiliary Army officers, though one cannot speak too absolutely, were overwhelmingly useless; this was certain. Therefore, as long as he appointed the mid- and low-ranking officers, the troop would be formed."

"If dispatched officers did not understand matters, Wang Yan would also very kindly send them to the border. He hoped that another Di Qing would emerge. If someone truly possessed Di Qing's abilities, then some other matters could also be forgiven..."

"For the better part of the following half-month, Wang Yan transferred all Auxiliary Army troops of this prefecture to Qiantang and conducted a comprehensive elimination. Ultimately, only slightly more than five hundred regular soldiers remained."

"Wang Yan had discussed with Fan Zhongyan that the Auxiliary Army must guarantee combat effectiveness and bear the responsibility of maintaining security within the prefecture; the number of personnel could not be too small. Therefore, the final establishment of the Hangzhou Auxiliary Army was set at one thousand."

"Eliminating surplus personnel from the Auxiliary Army solved the problem of redundant staff to a certain extent, but it did not solve the problem of redundant expenditures. Because after reorganization, the funding for the Auxiliary Army remained the same, or even slightly higher, due to a significant improvement in treatment."

"As for redundant staff in the prefectural and county offices, there actually were not that many, and Wang Yan had already dealt with them previously. However, although the Great Song did not occupy all territories, its domain was still considerable; adding up all the prefectures and counties nationwide resulted in a huge number. Moreover, over so many years, those entering through various imperial examinations, those gaining office through protection privilege, those granted honors, and imperial clan members, even if they held no actual appointment, still possessed official status, which meant they had to be paid. This was the bulk of the redundant staff and redundant expenditures."

"Redundant soldiers existed because the troops lacked combat effectiveness, could not win victories, and the money and grain consumed to maintain them were excessive. If one could always win victories and always plunder wealth, even a million-strong army would not be too many..."

"Hangzhou had a population of three hundred thousand; supporting one thousand regular soldiers was still more than sufficient. And one thousand people were enough to undertake the task of safeguarding the security of the entire territory. After all, every locality still had Yamen Runners and constables to maintain local order; with the Auxiliary Army suppressing the local area, basic problems were unlikely to arise."

"Of course, the funding issue for the Auxiliary Army certainly could not be resolved by relying on a population of three hundred thousand; rather, as Wang Yan had previously discussed with Fan Zhongyan, it had to be resolved by relying on merchants. Although among these merchant families, a vast number made their fortunes by operating businesses that oppressed the numerous poor common people."

"Now, the time had arrived for what they believed was Wang Yan oppressing them..."

"After the regular soldiers had trained for one month, the Prefectural Office finally produced a relatively large list of merchant households. This list was compiled by each county town, reported upward, and then verified and confirmed by the officials of the Prefectural Office before being finalized."

"Once the list was confirmed, Wang Yan issued a notice requiring everyone on the list to come to Qiantang, as he wished to discuss the future of Hangzhou with them. They could indeed represent Hangzhou; those who conducted large businesses certainly possessed much land, all belonging to powerful noble families, with complex compositions and extensive connections..."

"Because the number of people was relatively large and there was no venue capable of accommodating so many, it was finally decided that everyone would have a picnic. The location was by Xihu; from afar, one could already see the academy construction underway, as well as the work clearing Xihu."

"To prevent sun exposure, Wang Yan had long prepared many cool sheds. These were made by sewing a huge piece of hemp cloth and securing it with wooden poles and ropes to form a canopy tent."

"He also prepared many tables and chairs, teapots, teacups, and the like, setting up several large woks on-site to boil water and brew tea right there. Although the tables, chairs, and canopy tents were all very shabby, the tea was decent; it was all Mingqian Longjing, belonging to the unexpected gains from previous confiscations..."

"To facilitate several hundred people seeing and hearing, Wang Yan stood in the center. He paced in a circle, glanced at the powerful families staring at him, then smiled and bowed with clasped hands in all four directions. Over a hundred people rustled as they all stood up to return the courtesy; only after this exchange did he begin to speak."

"I have been in office for several months now and have disturbed those present here on many occasions; these are all my faults, and I hope you will forgive me."

"Amidst a chorus of 'dare nots,' Wang Yan continued, 'You are all busy people; I will not waste your time and will get straight to the point. The reason I gathered you all here today is that recently, bands of mountain bandits have risen within our borders. They do not harm the common people but specialize in robbing merchant caravans, killing people and seizing goods; their audacity knows no bounds. Commerce is the lifeline of our people; we rely on you all to conduct business, connecting north and south, benefiting our economy."

"However, with mountain bandits unrestful, mountain roads cannot be safe. Therefore, the bandits must be eradicated; it cannot be done otherwise. In the past two months, I have reorganized the Auxiliary Army, eliminated those unfit for battle, and recruited from the common people, totaling one thousand elite soldiers. Yet since they are elite soldiers, they require refined investment; expenses for military pay, arms, food, and so forth are enormous, and military expenditures are huge. Furthermore, to maintain this elite force for the long term, the power of the prefectural government alone is truly difficult to sustain."

"Therefore, the reason I invite you all here today lies in military expenditures."

"Speaking to this point, Wang Yan paused."

"Immediately, someone sensible picked up the conversation."

"Vice-Prefect Wang, elite soldiers are vital instruments for protecting the people of Hangzhou; our stable operations rely entirely on the protection of the Vice-Prefect, the Prefectural Office, and these elite generals and strong soldiers. Military funds are truly a minor matter; we ought to contribute funds to support the elite troops. Today, with one hundred of us here, if each family contributes three to five thousand strings of cash, supplemented by allocations from the Prefectural Office, how could we fail to support elite soldiers?"

"That statement is incorrect; what the Vice-Prefect spoke of hinges on the word 'long-term'."

"How is it incorrect? If we contribute three to five thousand strings of cash annually, how can that not be long-term? Even for superior soldiers of the Forbidden Army, the monthly stipend is no more than one string. With a monthly stipend of one thousand strings, food costs of three thousand strings, and one thousand strings for arms maintenance, how could that be insufficient?"

"A group of people began buzzing with discussion, yet no one asked Wang Yan what his actual plan was."

"None of them were fools; even if they were fools, this was not an opportunity for them to speak. Although there was buzzing, the representatives of opinion were merely a few dozen people; the vast majority only had the part of listening."

"Listening to their words, they understood their meaning. They knew that Wang Yan must have some idea, but judging by Wang Yan's past tough style, this idea would certainly involve cutting into them."

"Previously, while waiting for merchant representatives from various regions to arrive in Qiantang, some people had already met. There were even those who used money to find people within the Yamen, hoping to probe the situation. Unfortunately, after Wang Yan purged the prefectural and county offices once, the style of the officials had changed drastically; they had the guts to take money but not the guts to tell them any valuable information."

"So now they were pretending to be confused while knowing the truth, or rather, they had already compromised. Because the price they offered was not low; with so many people present, if each family contributed three thousand strings annually, let alone one thousand people, even ten thousand could be supported. Those present were all families capable of affording three thousand strings; they were all local tycoons..."

"But Wang Yan did not speak; he just stood quietly in the center with his hands behind his back, smiling as he watched them discuss."

"After some time like this, they finally stopped buzzing; even a few who had spoken quite a lot began to feel their hearts pounding."

"Finally, someone could not bear it, stood up, and bowed with clasped hands to Wang Yan: 'We wonder what regulations Vice-Prefect Wang has in mind?'"

"Wang Yan nodded satisfactorily; yes, he wanted people to see his satisfaction. He smiled friendly at the person who spoke and waved his hand to gesture for him to sit down."

"He said, 'Three thousand strings of cash per family annually; with so many people, this could indeed support the elite fighting soldiers of the Auxiliary Army. However, this is not a long-term strategy. Furthermore, there are already rumors circulating that I, Wang Yan, specialize in oppressing the good and innocent. If I were to collect money from you all in this manner, would that not further substantiate the claim that Wang Mou does not know how to be an official and only acts like a bandit? Others, upon taking office, bring benefits to one region; in my case, it has become robbing one region. How can this be acceptable?"

"I know you are all famous families of goodness and kindness, aiding the distressed and relieving the poor, specializing in good deeds, never oppressing the common people, seizing others' farmland, or violating others' wives and daughters; you are truly great virtuous people. Wang Yan absolutely cannot use the name of bandit suppression to commit such evil deeds, thereby cutting himself off from the virtuous people."

"However, the mountain bandits must be eradicated; it cannot be done otherwise. The matter of military funds is urgent. Therefore, this official has discussed with Lord Fan and others, and a provisional solution has been drafted. All of you present are the great households of Hangzhou; if you do not agree, naturally it cannot be implemented. If you agree, then naturally it will proceed throughout this prefecture. Now I will tell you all about it; let us see if it is feasible."

"You all conduct business within the city. However, there are many dirty and chaotic places in the city; although you all dispatch your own hired workers to sweep before your own doors, and although waste is disposed of, it ultimately lacks proper order. Therefore, this official believes that within the borders of Hangzhou, sanitation workers can be added to specialize in cleaning and sweeping within the city. We can employ widowers and widows, which provides them a livelihood and can also be considered a good deed. Since manpower must be increased, wages must be paid; this requires the merchant families among you to contribute."

"As soon as Wang Yan's voice fell, immediately someone stepped up to support him with a burst of praise; after such a round of flattery, they asked further, 'We wonder how Vice-Prefect Wang plans to collect the money?'"

"This is simple; based on your business earnings, a total figure will be calculated, and fees will be charged in tiers. For example, for one hundred strings, collect ten strings. For one hundred to five hundred strings, collect fifty strings. Of course, the figures I speak of are approximate; this official does not understand commerce, so the specific detailed rules for charging must be carefully drafted by the relevant offices. Today, I am merely telling you all first to hear your opinions."

"Finally, the dagger was revealed as the map was exhausted; that damned Wang Yan truly swung his knife to bleed them dry. He no longer even used the polite 'you all' from before; his every word was 'you lot,' truly bullying people too severely..."

"When it came to involving their own money, of course, no one was a fool. How was this collecting some kind of cleaning fee? This was adding a commercial tax..."

Over a hundred people gathered together, falling into a momentary, dead silence.

Finally, after a long period of quiet, someone stood up, bowed with clasped fists toward Wang Yan, and said somewhat hesitantly, "This move by the Prefectural Judge fears is somewhat inappropriate..."

The moment these words left his mouth, the minor officials standing on the periphery hurriedly took out their charcoal pencils and began writing in their small, bound notebooks...

But this man neither knew nor noticed; everyone else was the same, for their attention was fixed entirely on Wang Yan's face.

The man's stuttering speech continued, "If we increase personnel to specialize in cleaning and sweeping matters, I fear... it would not require so much money. Even if... even if within these cleaning funds we must provide for the Barrack Army... uh, elite combat troops, it still would not require... require so much... money..."

This man spoke politely, but others were not so polite; one slammed the table, stood up, and shouted loudly, "I see that Prefectural Judge Wang is using the name of cleaning to carry out an increase in commercial taxes. If the Prefectural Judge acts this way, does he not fear we will report him to Jingcheng? Never have I heard that any Prefectural Judge in any prefecture has the authority to privately add taxes. The Prefectural Judge wields great power; we all respect and submit to it, yet this action is ultimately improper. I hope the Prefectural Judge will think thrice."

Someone with a big head fired the first shot at Wang Yan. Naturally, many more chose to follow, loudly expressing their opposition and vehemently condemning Wang Yan's behavior as utterly rebellious.

Indeed, collecting taxes is the Emperor's prerogative; lower officials cannot touch it, for this is the bottom line. Therefore, Wang Yan did not raise taxes; he levied a cleaning fee.

Finally waiting until everyone had finished clamoring, Wang Yan pressed his hands down, and only after the crowd fell silent did he speak, "This official must first clarify one point: this is a cleaning fee, not an increase in commercial taxes."

"However, as this official stated just now, if you gentlemen do not agree, this method cannot be implemented. It now appears this official was indeed rash; what kind of fee it is matters not. Since you gentlemen do not agree, let this matter be temporarily abandoned. For such a trivial matter to require you gentlemen to travel all the way to Qiantang is this official's fault; let us disperse. I wish you all a safe journey."

Wang Yan said nothing more, bowed politely to the crowd, and departed first.

The hundred or so people gathered together exchanged glances filled with a certain amount of smugness. With many people comes great strength; no matter how awesome Wang Yan was, did he not still have to retreat three she (paces) before them all...

They failed to notice for a moment that the many officials surrounding them on all sides were shaking their heads, sighing, and then shaking their hands, which had gone somewhat stiff from rapid writing and recording, before silently tucking their small notebooks into their robes, patting them once to feel assured...

Fan Zhongyan rarely poured a cup of tea for Wang Yan; stroking his beard, he asked with a smile, "What are Xu Ziyan's thoughts?"

"I anticipated this long ago; success depends on human effort, let us wait and see." Wang Yan raised an eyebrow at Fan Zhongyan and drank his tea.

Fan Zhongyan laughed heartily, "You are carving their flesh and drinking their blood; this will not be easy to handle. What is the next step? Are mountain bandits about to descend from the mountains to destroy families and extinguish clans?"

Wang Yan did not hide the truth, nodding as he said, "We are currently compiling the statistics; after this student reviews them, we will select one family whose crimes are fully ripe."

"One cannot expect to solve everything with military force; this move is truly risky. If it backfires upon yourself, your life, Prince Yan, will be ruined."

"Master Fan has seen it himself; how can one persuade such rat-like creatures to willingly hand over money merely by wagging one's tongue? Killing is unavoidable. We must first kill one family far away, then summon the others to watch. If they still do not agree, this student will have no choice but to deal with them as before."

"Caution is paramount; if it truly reaches that stage, you will be in danger. You must act quickly, otherwise, if this escalates to the imperial court, neither you nor I can escape demotion and exile."

"Rest assured, Master Fan; this student has a plan."

Wang Yan did not pin his hopes on solving the problem by killing just one family, but he had to ease the situation first by trying to kill one. If that failed, he would have no choice but to launch a massive prison crackdown.

Cutting flesh with a dull knife is good, but this knife of his could not be made any duller; he had to cut fiercely and dry them out completely...