Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 18 Tax Exemption
"Those who attack the pavilion shall be killed!"

"Harboring criminals is also a serious crime!"

The people below the stage did not cheer this time, but instead began to whisper and discuss among themselves. Some people also showed fear on their faces, including some of the followers who had participated in the incident that day.

Whether Zhao Ping and his companions' gathering to surround the pavilion that day could be considered an attack on it was actually quite difficult to determine, but Yan Yi's standing in the hearts of the people at this point was completely different from what it had been half an hour earlier. If he said it was, everyone would naturally assume it was!

When everyone thinks something is true, then it is not true.

When Fei Jin heard the discussions around him, his face turned green. He didn't bother to watch anymore and hurried away with a few of his disciples.

Just by beheading three people and cutting off the foot of one person, Yan Yi gained the recognition of the people.

The memories and values ​​of his past life made him deeply sympathetic to the people of this era. Although his actions were intended to win people's hearts and there were traces of deliberate performance, they were also driven by a genuine desire to do something for the people, to ensure they had enough food and clothing, and to make some changes to the environment that he found somewhat oppressive.

The people's recognition of him was not because of what he had done, but simply because the people of that era were suffering so much that a little kindness could earn them heartfelt gratitude.

Yan Yi looked at the relaxed faces of the people around him and felt a sense of relief. He said loudly, "The country is in danger now, with bandits rampant. I would like to recruit 400 villagers to serve as my troops to protect the people. I will set up a recruitment station here. Anyone willing to follow me and join the army may sign up immediately. There will also be a complaint station. Anyone who has suffered injustice may go there to file a complaint. Those who have no business doing so may leave immediately."

The shouts spread all around, drawing enthusiastic responses from the people below the stage. However, when the children of the wealthy and powerful heard that a complaint desk was going to be set up, some of them looked unhappy, some of them avoided glances, and they all left the stage. Only a few people stayed.

"Young Master, the people's hearts can be used." Cao Qiu said with a smile, but he was also a little shocked in his heart. Wucheng had not seen such a scene for a long time.

Yan Yi nodded slightly. The development of the matter was somewhat beyond his expectations, which made him quite touched.

The people in troubled times are truly the most simple and amiable people. If you treat them well, they will treat you well in return.

Consider Liu Bei, known for his benevolence. Was he truly so benevolent? After Liu Bei captured Chengdu, he declared, "We should mint coins worth a hundred yuan, level the prices of all goods, and order officials to run the official market." This was also robbing the people, but the methods were more covert.

Liu Bei's benevolence was because compared to other forces that blatantly committed evil, he was able to control himself and try not to do evil or do less evil, so he was recognized by the people.

As the saying goes, it's not that I'm so good, it's all because of the contrast with my peers. Compared to Cao Cao's repeated massacres of cities and Sun Quan's unscrupulous exploitation of the people, Liu Bei was indeed much more benevolent.

The corpses and body parts on the stage were quickly taken away by the cavalry. Someone brought clean water to rinse the blood stains on the stage. Someone else brought desks, mats, writing brushes, ink and bamboo slips, and placed them on the steps on the east and west sides of the wooden stage, serving as a temporary place for recruiting soldiers and filing appeals.

The Recruiting Office was headed by Fan Yan, assisted by Chen Gan, while the Appeals Office was headed by Cao Qiu, assisted by Du Qiu.

The people below the stage formed two long lines, and two or three hundred soldiers patrolled back and forth to maintain order. The scene was orderly.

At this time, four horses came galloping, three of them had people on them, but the fourth horse was carrying two wicker boxes.

Before the horses could stand steady, two big men jumped off immediately. They first helped a gray-haired man in his fifties to get off the horse, and then each of them carried a wicker box, and the three of them hurried to the stage.

"Wei Cong, the husband of Renfeng Township, greets the young master." The gray-haired man knelt on the ground, his sparse hair fluttering in the breeze. "Such a corrupt official has appeared in this township. I am undeniably responsible. I ask the young master to punish me." "You are the elder of the township. Such formalities are unnecessary. Please stand." Yan Yi gestured to two large men to help Wei Cong to his feet. "I don't believe in collective punishment here. If there is evidence to prove you have committed a crime, I will punish you. Otherwise, you don't have to worry. These people who have filed complaints are all citizens of your Renfeng Township. Since you are here, let's act together."

Cao Qiu and Du Qiu moved half a body length to the right.

Wei Cong hurried forward and sat next to Cao Qiu. He then had two attendants open the rattan box and took out rolls of bamboo slips. He said, "These are the files of our township for the past year."

Cao Qiu was delighted: "Great! I was just worried that there were no files to check."

Wei Cong and Du Qiu were both very familiar with the local personnel and they knew the ins and outs of many appeals very well, but they usually turned a blind eye and did not care.

With Yan Yi's supervision, the two worked diligently to handle the matter. Even when faced with undecided matters, Cao Qiu, their superior, would make the decision. If Cao Qiu couldn't make a decision, Yan Yi would make the final decision. With the cooperation of the four, the appeal was handled very quickly.

However, if there is a result, it will be recorded first and the township office will supervise its implementation. For complex and difficult appeals, records will also be made first and handed over to the various offices for handling after returning to the county.

Cao Qiu and the other three now seemed to have the demeanor of capable officials, but Yan Yi's expression became increasingly ugly.

"Young Master, is there anything you are worried about?" Cao Qiu, who was always paying attention to Yan Yi, asked.

"I wonder if these things, even though they've been dealt with, will happen again when I'm gone."

Yan Yi casually picked up a petition regarding a loan dispute and said expressionlessly, "Will these moneylenders, the Ziqian families, continue to manipulate the amount of money and grain, will they continue to unscrupulously increase interest rates, will they continue to use violence to force people to sell their homes, land, and children?"

The scene suddenly fell silent, and the people in front of the table were also stunned, and then showed expressions of fear.

Yan Yi pointed at Cao Qiu and the other two and said, "Do you think it's possible?"

Wei Cong and Du Qiu nodded with difficulty. Cao Qiu said in a stern voice, "Young Master, you've done a lot. Some things are simply hard to change."

"We need to address the root causes. We can rectify the bureaucracy by ripping off corrupt officials, and enforce strict military discipline by plundering civilians." Yan Yi frowned. "How can we address these loan sharks?"

"Although the Ziqian family is despicable, this is a problem even the emperor can't solve." Cao Qiu said with a wry smile, "During the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion of the Former Han Dynasty, Emperor Xiaojing borrowed money from the Ziqian family to raise military funds. When they repaid the money after the war, the interest had been multiplied tenfold, and Emperor Xiaojing could only repay the principal and interest at ten times the rate."

"I understand what you mean. It's impossible to eliminate the practice of borrowing money on credit," Yan Yi pondered. "But we can find ways to reduce borrowing. Once people borrow money, even at double the interest, their families will be ruined."

He stood up and paced back and forth on the stage. "Why do the people have to borrow money? Because the taxes are too heavy. In normal years, they can barely make ends meet. But when faced with war, or natural disasters like epidemics or locust plagues, they have no money or food to pay the taxes, and ultimately have no choice but to borrow money. This is the situation facing these refugees right now. The only way to truly solve this problem is..."

Yan Yi paused, and after a brief hesitation, he said something that shocked Cao Qiu and the others: "I have decided to exempt the refugees from taxes this year!"

(End of this chapter)