Chapter 671: The Exchange for the Liao Impost

The household and population census had already begun across the region. The core of the Zhao Battalion and the focus of its operations lay on the southern bank of the Yellow River. By transferring Zhang Hubin's several companies there, along with the Xuzhou Regiment already dispatched, it was more than enough to intimidate any local elements harboring disloyal thoughts or schemes.

Near the Mid-Autumn Festival, firecrackers suddenly erupted in front of the home of Clerk Liu from the Prefectural Revenue Office. Everyone was beaming with joy. It was neither New Year's nor a family celebration, so why such a grand display? What on earth had happened? Those with an inquisitive mind went to inquire, and it turned out to be no secret at all: they said the Young Master had gifted Clerk Liu a shopfront in the salt market, along with three hundred catties of Han Well Famous Wine every month.

All the shopfronts in the salt market belonged to the Zhao Battalion. The annual and monthly rents and profits were extraordinarily lucrative, and running one's own business there was a guaranteed profit. Even the earliest snack vendors in the salt market had made a small fortune, let alone owning a street-facing storefront like this. Once word got out, people would immediately come knocking to collaborate, offering very generous terms. As for the three hundred catties of Han Well Famous Wine, that was even more solid silver. Although production had increased and the monopoly was no longer so strict, as sales along the canal grew and the trading caravans heading beyond the passes and into the steppe expanded, the price still hadn't dropped. Moreover, there was another layer of meaning: those three hundred catties of wine essentially cemented one's connection to the Zhao family, guaranteeing a measure of respect from everyone on Xuzhou soil.

That was what one could find out. What went unspoken was that Clerk Liu's second son, Liu Donglai, had been personally selected by Zhao Jin to join the Cadet Corps, starting directly as a squad leader and tasked with teaching fiscal and tax methods to the men below. A person like that—one could well imagine his future prospects. With these several matters in play, Clerk Liu was now, in substance, a man of the Zhao Battalion.

The reason for such generous treatment was that Clerk Liu had rendered great service in this "population census." And this service had not been rendered just now, but at the very beginning of the year.

At the outset, Zhao Jin and those around him, including the civil clerks and head bailiffs close to them, had all worried about one thing: that the implementation of this census would inevitably meet with local resistance. Even though the Zhao Battalion's might was overwhelming and no one dared not fear it, when it touched upon their own livelihoods, their financial interests, and the potential for future tax increases, no one—whether openly or covertly—would be willing to accept it.

But once the work actually began, they discovered it was not as they had imagined. What the powerful families and commoners of Xuzhou were most anxious about at the moment was the Liao Impost. Everyone knew that once the Liao Impost was collected, it would certainly cause grievous harm, even ruin families completely. There had originally been rumors saying that the Young Master, out of compassion for the people, would block this matter. But now, the various government offices were all sharpening their knives, preparing to collect the tax. News was mounting, and on top of this, the higher-ups were even pushing for some kind of "census" and implementing a "Baojia" system.

With the Liao Impost on one side and the census on the other, even the dullest mind could connect the dots. Could it be that the Young Master intended to thoroughly audit the fields and population of Xuzhou, and use the collection of the Liao Impost as a pretext to strip Xuzhou completely bare? That would truly be a catastrophe. If the officials pressed too hard, people could still risk open resistance. But if the Young Master wanted to do something, he would do it—who would dare to stop him, unless they no longer valued their lives?

For a time, panic spread like wildfire. Some thought of a solution: couldn't those with scholarly rank or official titles accept land registrations under their names? People would rather risk having their land swallowed up than not transfer it over. But what they could think of, those scholars could think of too. Who would dare take advantage of Zhao Jin at a time like this? One and all refused, and some even disgorged the lands they had previously swallowed under such registrations, precisely because they feared being implicated.

So everyone came up with a second solution: registering their land under the names of Zhao Battalion military dependents. Everyone knew the Young Master treated his household troops very generously. But unexpectedly, Zhao Jin had already considered this matter beforehand. The household troops and their families had all received word and likewise dared not accept.

Left with no alternatives, everyone felt an urgent sense of impending doom. Just thinking about the mechanics of the Liao Impost made even those with substantial family fortunes turn pale. It was truly a method of butchering men and devouring flesh. With no other way out, they could only follow the rules and do as they were told—either beg the Young Master to help block it, or obediently pay the tax.

No one wanted to be flayed alive, so they could only go and beg the Young Master. Begging came at a price, and everyone understood how it worked. It was simply this: if the Liao Impost was ten parts, and the Young Master could block it, then they would give the Young Master three parts. They couldn't let the Young Master do it for nothing.

What truly caught everyone off guard was how simple Zhao Jin's terms were. He only wanted one part. But apart from that, everyone had to report the exact numbers of their fields and household members. If the subsequent verification proved inaccurate, then there would be nothing more to discuss.

The Young Master's word was worth a thousand gold; he had never yet gone back on it. Since he had said so, he would certainly deliver. Weighing the two options, everyone knew what to do. Faced with the bone-stripping, marrow-sucking Liao Impost, or paying an extra ten percent and reporting the true state of their assets, people were very willing to cooperate.

This led Zhao Jin and his comrades to a wry realization: it turned out there was no need for military force to push this census. The Liao Impost, that life-destroying measure, was more than sufficient. So they immediately laid out the terms: choose between the Liao Impost and revealing your true assets. Whether local strongmen or common folk, everyone naturally knew which to pick.

Many people didn't even think revealing their assets was a big deal; it wasn't that important to begin with. And paying that extra ten percent to the Young Master wasn't a major issue either, because it was ten percent of the taxes paid in previous years, not ten percent of their total wealth. Normally, even if you wanted to gift something to the Young Master, you'd have to see if he'd even accept it.

Like a rolling snowball, the census situation across Xuzhou turned overwhelmingly positive. There were only two groups that posed slight difficulties: the Guard garrisons on one hand, and the scholar-gentry on the other. Neither the garrisons nor the scholars were particularly worried about the Liao Impost, since it didn't really concern them. The garrisons quickly backed down after a few harsh words from Zhao Jin. As for the scholars, their numbers in Xuzhou were simply too small to stir up any waves.

Such was the situation in Xuzhou that even people from Guide Prefecture in Henan, and from Pi Prefecture and Su Prefecture, came to make contact. They said they were willing to offer an even larger share; if the Young Master could block the Liao Impost, they would provide greater shares and benefits. However, for places outside Xuzhou, Pi Prefecture and Su Prefecture, which belonged to South Zhili, were still manageable—their manpower was within reach. But Guide Prefecture, under Henan's jurisdiction, was far more troublesome to deal with. Furthermore, South Zhili had two Grand Coordinators and two Garrison Eunuchs, with overlapping and unclear authority, so often no single party could manage an entire prefecture or subprefecture. Henan, on the other hand, had a complete administrative hierarchy from bottom to top; any interference there would likely trigger a chain reaction.

What they had imagined to be fraught with endless difficulty turned out, when the moment came, to be as effortless as splitting bamboo—smooth and simple. To whom did the credit belong? The primary credit had to go to Clerk Liu of the Revenue Office. Had he not suggested at the start not to rush in announcing the blocking of the Liao Impost, this favor could not have been sold so easily. If the people of Xuzhou had known all along that the Young Master would block the Liao Impost, they would have felt no urgency. At that point, they would have started calculating for their own benefit: the less they revealed about their assets, the more advantage they could gain. Everyone knew how to do that math.

Clerk Liu's single suggestion saved the Zhao Battalion so much trouble, allowing them to concretely grasp Xuzhou's true situation, and even prompting the surrounding areas to proactively reach out. It would undoubtedly save a great deal of effort in the future. Zhao Jin firmly remembered Clerk Liu's great merit.

Amidst all this, the ones who suffered most were the magistrates of Xuzhou's one prefecture and four counties. With the Liao Impost uncollected, they naturally had no benefits to pocket, and they would also be blamed by their superiors. Whether they would be dismissed or formally reprimanded was unknown. But at this juncture, they were truly helpless. In their daily work, they had always relied on the clerks and bailiffs beneath them, and now those men answered only to the Zhao Battalion. Without the bailiffs and clerks, the county magistrates and prefect were nothing.

It was precisely under these circumstances that Zhao Jin's mood was relatively relaxed. Moreover, after the fall of Kaiyuan and Tieling, the Jianzhou Jurchens seemed to need time to digest the fruits of their successive victories, and their offensive had halted. Meanwhile, the measures implemented one after another by the Liaodong Military Commissioner, Xiong Tingbi, were genuinely reassuring, greatly diminishing the agitation Zhao Jin usually felt after reading the reports.

"... In Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian, Li Xin has risen in revolt, audaciously proclaiming the reign title 'Hongwu.' Together with Yuan Balao and others, he leads a band of over a thousand, attacking various locales with considerable momentum. Grand Coordinator Wang Shichang has ordered Vice Generals Ji Yuanxian, Shen Yourong, and others to lead government troops to suppress the rebellion, and it was swiftly quelled..." After finishing the Liaodong news, Wang Zhaojing read the next item with a smile.

Everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh. Ji Xiang chuckled and said, "I'd guess a thousand or so men kicked up a fuss outside the city. Once the officials got word, they sent troops over. The moment the soldiers arrived, that rabble scattered. If it were us..."

Chen Sheng coughed. Ji Xiang cut himself short, clearing his throat twice and saying no more. Zhao Jin pretended not to hear and offered his commentary: "With this defeat in Liaodong, many think it's a superficial trifle that can't shake the Great Ming's foundation. Yet some sense that chaos is coming and want to exploit it. That fool in Fujian isn't worth mentioning, but it's hard to guarantee others aren't thinking the same way. For us, the old saying still holds: no need to rush."

Everyone nodded. Chen Sheng spoke up and asked, "What do we do about Zhou Baolu? It seems the intelligence is accurate!"

Ever since they had Feng Qi as an inside source within the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, intelligence regarding Ma Chonghao was no longer as inaccessible as before. Even though "Commissioner Ma" was extremely secretive, when someone on the inside deliberately sought information, it was surprisingly easy to uncover clues.

After Feng Qi's circumstances improved, no one thought much of it; everyone simply felt that a good man had received his just reward. With more money in his pocket, Feng Qi enjoyed socializing, and naturally, he picked up the tab most often. Over these unrestricted conversations, a great deal of information was gleaned. Feng Qi himself might not have seen any significance in it, but once reported to Zhao Jin, men like Liu Yong, Lei Cai, and the other old hands of the underworld could read the signs clearly.

Thanks to "Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Goodbye Someone" for the reward, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Just one update today.