Chapter 269: If you don't pay taxes, Heaven will punish you!

"Zijiao, when the Benevolent King comes, you must persuade him well.

I heard that the Benevolent King is also a scholar, and the third-place winner in this imperial examination; he will surely listen to your words."

Everyone thought of those gentry who had only resisted a little bit of tax

and were directly beheaded by the Liang Shan soldiers without mercy,

and couldn't help but place their hopes on the middle-aged man.

The reason they were like this was that the identity of this middle-aged man was not simple.

His surname was Kong, his name was Duanyou, and his courtesy name was Zijiao; he was the forty-eighth generation descendant of the Kong Sage,

the Yansheng Duke personally conferred by the Great Song Emperor, and the model for the scholars of the world!

The Benevolent King wouldn't give them these gentry face, but he would definitely give the Yansheng Duke and the Kong Sage some face, right?

"That is as it should be."

Kong Duanyou nodded.

Persuading the Benevolent King to withdraw these tyrannical policies was one of his purposes today.

If these tyrannical policies continue to be implemented, the world will be in danger!

As a descendant of the Kong Sage, he felt he had the obligation to persuade the Benevolent King to avoid him going down the wrong path.

Tap, tap.

A while later, following the sound of horse hooves, the cavalry escorted Zhang Jie's carriage to Qufu.

"What elite soldiers!"

Dozens of riders actually ran out the momentum of thousands of troops charging,

and feeling the iron-blooded, murderous aura rushing toward them, the gentry were shocked.

Compared to these elite soldiers, the soldiers of the Great Song were true thief-matched armies.

"Whoa!"

The leading knight didn't stop the horse until he was only ten meters away from the gentry.

At the same time, the cavalry behind him also stopped in unison,

dozens of riders actually acting as if they were one person, as easy as an arm!

"The Benevolent King has arrived; why don't you welcome him?"

The leading knight didn't even look at the dusty gentry, waved his horse whip, and shouted coldly.

"We pay our respects to the Benevolent King; may the Benevolent King live for a thousand years, a thousand years, ten thousand years!"

The gentry, who were splashed with mud and dust, dared not speak out against such proud soldiers,

and under the leadership of Kong Duanyou, bowed respectfully to the four-wheeled carriage slowly driving over.

"The Yansheng Duke and everyone, no need for formalities."

Zhang Jie walked down from the carriage with a gentle face, bringing Wang Lun with him.

"Phew!"

Seeing that Zhang Jie was not as fierce as the rumors said,

such as having a face full of flesh, being eight feet tall, and having a waist eight feet wide, but instead gentle and elegant,

a gentleman among scholars, the hearts of the people were put at ease a little.

Even Kong Duanyou had a few more chances of success for the persuasion that followed.

"The Benevolent King visiting Qufu truly makes us terrified,

only hoping that Your Highness will not dislike the simplicity of our humble home and our poor hospitality."

Kong Duanyou put his position very low as soon as he came up.

Zhang Jie smiled and walked side by side with Kong Duanyou:

"The Yansheng Duke is the model for the scholars of the world, and Zhang is also a scholar,

so you and I are truly close brothers; no need to be so formal."

"Your Highness, please!"

Kong Duanyou, whose mood relaxed a bit, led the way as the host.

Along the way, visiting the Kong Forest and the Nishan Holy Mirror, Zhang Jie was polite,

showing great friendliness toward the Kong Sage and the Kong family.

Finally, the group arrived at the Kong Mansion to rest temporarily.

After drinking tea and exchanging pleasantries, Kong Duanyou, feeling the time was ripe, opened his mouth:

"Your Highness, I wonder if there is any room for relaxation in the 'gentry and commoners serve and pay taxes together' and 'spreading the poll tax into the land'?"

The other local gentry also pricked up their ears:

This matter was closely related to their interests and could not miss a word.

Slap, slap!

Zhang Jie smiled without saying a word, but clapped his hands.

Wu Song, who had been guarding behind him like a door god, moved.

He took a small black ball from his waist, pulled the ring on it,

stretched his ape-like arms, and threw it directly into the bronze tripod used for ancestor worship in the courtyard.

"What is this?"

Everyone was very confused about Wu Song's move.

Zhang Jie's furious opposition or bargaining with them were all in their plans,

but what did it count for to let his subordinate throw a small toy?

Could Zhang Jie think that such a small thing could deter them?

They had been through storms for decades, so they were not afraid...

Boom!

The next second, a deafening sound, several times louder than the thunder in the sky, rang out in the bronze tripod.

Clatter!

Several gentry were shocked, and the blue and white porcelain tea cups in their hands fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"If you don't pay taxes, Heaven will punish you!"

Wu Song roared at the terrified gentry.

"If you don't pay taxes, Heaven will punish you!"

"If you don't pay taxes, Heaven will punish you!"

The other dozen or so guards roared in unison.

Looking at the deformed bronze tripod, the gentry were trembling,

looking at the small metal balls hanging on the guards' waists, their faces full of undisguised fear:

If this were thrown into their homes, wouldn't it be a family reunion?

Even Kong Duanyou was shocked by the huge power, his pupils subconsciously dilated,

and it was only under the suppression of his deep cultivation of qi that he didn't make a fool of himself like the others.

Appreciating this pathetic scene of everyone, Zhang Jie smiled in his heart.

After Swallowing Zhang Jie came, the technological level of the Zhang Jies rose straight up.

Although due to limited energy, it still couldn't reach the modernization level of the 21st century,

but at least they had produced yellow gunpowder, the iconic product of modern warfare.

With this kind of gunpowder that was dozens of times more powerful than black gunpowder and convenient to carry,

the high walls and deep courtyards that these Great Song gentry relied on were not worth mentioning.

The big gift of the Qingzhou military camp was something he specifically arranged for people to send.

It wiped out most of the generals of the Great Song Qingzhou army at once,

providing great convenience for Liang Shan's offensive in Qingzhou.

The only pity was that Young Gao Gao Yanei, who had become Gao Ren, was also shattered and left no bones in it,

leaving Lin Chong, who was almost cuckolded and turned into a bitter master, with no one to take revenge on.

For this, Zhang Jie decided to hand Gao Qiu over to Lin Chong later and let him handle it.

After all, the backer that Young Gao Gao Yanei relied on to bully the market in Bianliang City

and wantonly tease and humiliate good women was Gao Qiu.

It was just that dying so quickly, without a trace of pain,

was really too easy for this playboy Young Gao Gao Yanei.

Zhang Jie withdrew his thoughts, looked at Kong Duanyou, and asked with a smile:

"Kong brother, what do you think of my tax policy?"

Looking at Zhang Jie, who let his subordinates use such violent weapons at every turn, but had no half-point violence on his face,

beads of cold sweat unconsciously emerged from Kong Duanyou's forehead,

then slid down his cheeks, and finally fell on the smooth floor tiles, shattering into pieces.

He now understood that Zhang Jie's gentleness just now was just an appearance,

his bones were still that fierce hero who led troops to ravage Qingzhou, those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish!

He didn't doubt at all that the next sentence of Zhang Jie, who was still smiling gently, would be to kill.

'This is not a scholar at all; I'm afraid the fierce generals in history books who killed across the wilderness were just like this, right?'

Kong Duanyou sighed in his heart.

He moved his cheek muscles and barely squeezed out a smile:

"This policy of the Benevolent King benefits the country above and the people below; it is a superior benevolent policy." ===== CHAPTER 270 =====