Chapter 368: To Submit or Not to Submit

Fifteen percent was less than twenty or thirty percent, but the moment Zhao Jin finished speaking, from the first row to the very last, every face changed color. The just-seated Scholar Cai hurriedly rose again and actually performed a deep ceremonial bow, saying with the utmost earnestness, "Young Master Zhao has done our Xuzhou a great kindness, one that Xuzhou's scholars and people hold in grateful remembrance. We beseech Young Master Zhao, you absolutely must not pursue such a wolfish and tigerish course. This three-year quota, this old man finds it very appropriate. What do you all think?"

Although Cai Zhengqiu was highly respected among the gentry of Xuzhou, he also knew his own authority was limited to Qulipu, and he never presumed on his seniority with others. Yet now he was making a decision on behalf of everyone.

This was a matter of distributing a year's harvest. Who among them didn't own thousands or tens of thousands of mu of land? Taking an extra few percent meant a colossal amount of grain and money. What right did an outsider have to decide for everyone? But under this great tent, no one voiced such a thought. Instead, they exchanged glances, and several of the most powerful leaders stood up first to echo, "Elder Cai speaks reason. Let us do as Young Master Zhao proposes!"

"What gives you the right..." A few rash fellows, slow to catch on, had just begun to protest when those around them shot them vicious glares—looks that could kill. They were immediately frightened into silence. Then, a close associate whispered a few words in their ears, and only then did sudden understanding dawn. They promptly jumped up and shouted in a voice far louder than before, "We'll follow Master Jin's word! This humble one has absolutely no second opinion."

For a moment, the entire tent was ablaze with fervor, everyone voicing their approval of Zhao Jin's proposal. Zhao Jin smiled and glanced at the few people beside him. His companions, as well as Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi, all nodded with smiles.

The acreage registered on the books was growing ever smaller, while the unregistered acreage grew ever larger. More and more farming households were throwing their lot in with powerful families, so the number of taxpayers and taxable fields dwindled. Nor could one simply squeeze the small households without restraint—there was little to scrape off them, and if squeezed into bankruptcy and ruin, there would be no one left to pay taxes the following year.

Faced with this situation, the various levels of the Great Ming government had their own methods. They simply never collected taxes according to the registers. Instead, both sides would negotiate. If you had three thousand mu of land, regardless of whether it was registered or not, a tax quota had to be negotiated. If the government office held the upper hand, you might pay on two thousand mu. If you yourself were strong, you might pay on just a few hundred mu. No household was truly exempt. After all, the clerks and runners of the six offices, along with the bailiffs, were all local natives and a type of local power themselves. If they truly offended each other, the future troubles would be endless.

Xuzhou was somewhat different from other places. Yanshan Temple within its borders occupied far too much land. The temple itself had tax-exempt quotas, and with its overwhelming power, not a single coin could be collected from them.

However, to collect more and to save effort and worry, the Revenue Office would often contract this duty out to a local strongman. This strongman would then take charge of collection, negotiating with each party. Relying on face, influence, or even force, he would collect more. Once the contracted quota was paid in full, the remainder was his own profit.

When clerks and runners came, everyone had to pay. When the strongman contracted for the grain levy came, everyone had to pay a bit more. If Zhao Jin were the one doing this, who would dare short him by even a single mu?

He Weiyuan, Yanshan Temple, Kong Family Manor, and those thousands upon thousands of refugees—all had been utterly defeated and destroyed by Zhao Jin. If you weren't even ranked among the top tier in Xuzhou, what gave you the right to contend against Zhao Jin? If Zhao Jin led his men to collect grain and taxes, there would be no room for you to haggle. If you had three thousand mu, you would pay on three thousand mu. If he said thirty percent, you would pay a full thirty percent. If you actually had three thousand mu, and he claimed you had four thousand and demanded sixty percent, you would have to pay that amount in full. Would you dare refuse?

If Zhao Jin contracted the grain levy, then every household in Xuzhou would likely have to pay based on their actual holdings, not daring to short a single bit. Reckoning this way, this current proposal of thirty or twenty percent was truly merciful, leaving everyone who knows how much leeway.

After all, the imperial court was still remitting thirty percent of the taxes. Calculated this way, what they had to pay was still far less than in previous years. Everyone still came out ahead. There was no need to oppose Zhao Jin.

Once this reasoning sank in, the previously awkward and tense atmosphere relaxed once more. Zhao Jin was in no hurry either. He waited until the tea in the tent had been refreshed once before he spoke, "Everyone, Zhao does not take all of this for himself. To secure the tax reduction and remission, the circuit intendant, the grand coordinator—all these must be looked after. Without gifts sent up, how would benefits come down? Furthermore, the Revenue Office has helped everyone tremendously. It would be unreasonable for them to earn less than before. They must also receive their share."

Upon hearing these words, the atmosphere grew even better. So Zhao Jin, having collected so much, still had to handle matters on their behalf. At that point, Scholar Cai rose again and declared loudly, "Young Master Zhao's lofty righteousness is truly a great blessing for our Xuzhou! Fellow countrymen, the Zhao Camp protects our land and keeps the peace. Their daily expenses are already considerable. This time, in opening connections high and low to secure these three tax-free years, we are all beneficiaries. It would be unreasonable to let Young Master Zhao bear the cost alone. How about we all share this expense?"

After Scholar Cai finished speaking, the crowd in the seats fell silent for a moment. But the silence was brief, and soon it was bustling again as everyone rose one after another, saying, "That is only right!"

They said it, and they wouldn't dare renege afterward. But in their hearts, every one of them was cursing—not Zhao Jin, but Scholar Cai, who had spoken first. They thought to themselves, these bookworms with scholarly rank are just too clever. He was the first to propose such a fawning, sycophantic suggestion, and most of the goodwill would fall on him, yet the rest of them had no choice but to follow along.

Still, this Zhao Jin was truly honorable. With this money handed over and distributed by him, there would certainly be no skimming or false reporting, nor any messy loose ends. It was perfectly safe.

The atmosphere in the seats grew increasingly relaxed. Everyone felt that this young master was considerate and not harsh, and that following him would certainly not lead to a loss.

Zhao Jin made a hand signal to Zhou Xuezhi beside him. A drum sounded in response, and the scene fell silent. Zhou Xuezhi, holding an account book, flipped through it as he announced loudly, "Everyone, for the following places, the first year's grain tax is fully exempted. The corresponding obligations will be paid on their behalf by the Xu'an Trading Company. The Cai family of Qulipu, Wuli Village, Yonggu Mountain..."

As the names were read out one by one, everyone's faces were filled with envy. The first year was the largest amount, and a full exemption in the first year was a huge bargain. Yet no one felt jealousy or resentment, because hearing one name might cause confusion, but hearing many made it clear: these were all groups that had joined the expedition to rescue Xuzhou. They had faced life and death and shed blood, so naturally they deserved compensation.

Once this was finished, Chen Sheng rose from his seat and declared loudly, "In your previous discussions over several days, no agreement was reached. Today, the Zhao Camp lays out the rules plainly. Those willing to comply, the Zhao Camp welcomes. Those unwilling to comply, the Zhao Camp will not target. The Zhao Camp's reputation, please rest assured—our word is final."

"... Those willing to hand over their militia and village braves to the Zhao Camp will have them inspected by the Zhao Camp. All who qualify will be fully inducted, then broken up and redistributed among the various units. Their food, clothing, shelter, and equipment will all be borne by the Zhao Camp. Furthermore, however many men each place contributes, that many men will be stationed there to guard against bandits and suppress civil unrest. For those unwilling to hand them over, the Zhao Camp will not interfere, but they must obey the Zhao Camp's commands. Any defiance of orders will be regarded as banditry and will be immediately exterminated. Whether openly or in secret, any who make themselves enemies of the Zhao Camp will have their punishment extended to three degrees of kinship..."

As he spoke these words, Chen Sheng's face held no smile, and those below listened with rapt attention. After he finished, Chen Sheng took his seat. The crowd below, heedless of decorum now, began whispering among themselves.

"This is swallowing up the very capital we all hold in our hands!"

"The way they're going about it is decent enough. If they really used force, could you stop them?"

"Good thing they still care about saving face. But weapons are our lifeblood. Without them, we'd be fish on the chopping block. I'm not handing mine over!"

Their attitudes and tones varied, but the conclusion was one: if they could avoid handing them over, they would.

Not everyone spoke this way. Tian Ying of Tian Family Village was the first to stand. His seat was only in the middle-to-back rows, but he rose and shouted, "Master Jin, the able-bodied men of Tian Family Village are willing to follow Master Jin's arrangements!"

"Lin Family Enclosure is willing to follow Master Jin's arrangements!"

The ones who stood up were no surprise. They were all from the joint-defense alliance. In name, they were Tian Family Village or Lin Family Enclosure, but in reality, they were now He Family Village.

After these few had vied to speak, the scene quieted slightly. Everyone looked at one another, then stole glances at the expressions and looks of Zhao Jin and the others up front. Only when they saw no change did they breathe a sigh of relief. Just then, a cough was heard from the front, and Scholar Cai rose again, declaring clearly, "Here at Qulipu, we are willing to follow Young Master Zhao's arrangements."

The crowd buzzed again. This Scholar Cai didn't call him "Master Jin" but "Young Master Zhao," yet his every action was tantamount to kowtowing to Zhao Jin. It seemed he was leaving himself not a shred of autonomy. If this went on, probably no one would be calling him "Old Patriarch Cai" anymore.

"Qi Family Village! Everyone in Qi Family Village is willing to follow Young Master Zhao's arrangements!" someone suddenly shouted from the very last row. Everyone turned to look and saw Qi Erkui standing there, red-faced and thick-necked. He had spoken so urgently that his breath had caught, and he stood there coughing uncontrollably.

Qi Erkui had been listening to all this earlier, drowsy and half-asleep, until just moments ago when someone he didn't know nudged him awake. He heard Scholar Cai's words but hadn't yet reacted, dazedly asking the person next to him what was going on. The moment he understood, he had jumped straight to his feet.

Don't be fooled by Qi Erkui sitting in the last row—that was only because those in the illicit salt trade held the lowest status. Everyone knew his strength well. He could muster dozens of able-bodied men at a moment's notice, and if it came to a real fight, he could gather two hundred blade-wielding fighters. Moreover, unlike everyone else's peasant levies, many of his men had seen blood. They had real weapons in abundance and could even draw bows and nock arrows. In a true clash, four or five hundred farmhands might not be their match.

Furthermore, Qi Family Village was far from He Family Village, and their business was on the salt roads. Their ties of obligation with Zhao Jin were also strong. No matter how you looked at it, shutting the gates and living as a local tyrant on his own would be better than attaching himself to Zhao Jin. Yet this man was rushing so frantically to submit.