In the famine, others ate Guanyin soil, but he had space to build a farm.

In the residence of County Magistrate Chen, several leaders of the county government are here.

"Everyone knows the current situation. The county magistrate has asked me to be responsible for collecting grain! I don't expect those peasants to hand over much grain. So you need to mobilize the big families in the county to donate more grain!" County Magistrate Chen looked at the chief clerk, the registrar and others present. These people all have families in the local area and have great influence.

"Sir Chen! Why should we help Magistrate Li? He usually calls himself a scholar and acts superior! This time, it would be better to let him eat the leftovers!" Zhou Dianshi suddenly said at this time!

"Do you think I don't want to? Don't forget that he has the right to check the county treasury at any time! He even proposed to take out some grain from the county treasury to pay taxes! If he really opens the county treasury, how can we explain it? You must know that according to the iron law of the Dakun Dynasty, the treasuries of the prefectures and counties cannot be used without the order of the court!" At this time, County Magistrate Chen picked up the wine glass and took a sip. Li Wei was holding their sore spot.

"Oh, right! What happened to the grains of my nephew? Could it be the bandits from Qinglong Village?" Shi Zhubu asked. You know, they were involved in Chen Jun's grains. It was too suspicious that such a large amount of grains was stolen.

"Uncles! According to the investigation of Captain Yang, it was indeed those people from Qinglong Mountain who stole it!" Chen Jun, who had been serving carefully at the side, answered at this time.

"But these people from Qinglong Mountain are really ruthless! Normally we don't care about them, but they dare to provoke us!" Shi Zhubu said angrily. You know, it was their money that was robbed. It was as if the people from Qinglong Mountain reached into his pocket to take the money.

"Should we report to the Southwest Prefecture and have someone come to encircle and suppress the people in Qinglong Village?" Zhou Dianshi proposed at this time. Because they all knew that it was impossible to encircle and suppress Qinglong Mountain with the existing yamen runners.

"Absolutely not! They must have come down from Qinglong Mountain because they were really short of food! If a large army came, we would have to supply all the food and drink! We would suffer even greater losses then! The city is also short of food now! You are really trying to send the gods away instead of inviting them in!" County Magistrate Chen immediately shook his head and denied this statement.

"Then we have no choice but to let them go this time! If the imperial army passes by next time, we can invite them to go to Qinglong Mountain!" Zhou Dianshi said somewhat unwillingly.

"What Mr. Zhou said is absolutely right, but the situation is urgent right now and we can only be patient for the time being." County Magistrate Chen said in a deep voice, his eyes sweeping across everyone's faces, as if looking for a consensus.

"Sir Chen, how should we respond to the county magistrate's request next?" Shi Zhubu asked with a frown. He knew in his heart that this incident would undoubtedly add many variables to their plan.

"We can only do our best and try to raise food from the wealthy families to meet the needs of the county magistrate." County Magistrate Chen sighed. He knew that this task was not easy, but he had no choice.

"But those wealthy families are not fools. How could they donate grain so easily?" Zhou Dianshi said with some dissatisfaction. He understood the difficulties of Chen Xiancheng, but he was more worried about his own interests being damaged.

"We can promise them that after this storm is over, the county will give them some policy benefits or compensation in other aspects." County Magistrate Chen said in a deep voice, with a sly glint in his eyes.

"That's a good idea." Shi Zhubu nodded. He knew that County Magistrate Chen was using benefits to lure those wealthy families.

"Then we will split up tomorrow and go and persuade those wealthy families. We also need to notify the heads of each pavilion and village! Ask them to collect as much grain as possible!" County Magistrate Chen made the decision. He knew that time was running out and there was no time to delay.

Everyone nodded in agreement. They knew that although this mission was difficult, they could only do their best. Everyone knew that if the county magistrate could not get over this hurdle, none of them would be able to escape.

"One more thing! Don't push them too hard! I heard that there's been trouble in the northwest, and villages and towns have started fighting with the tax collectors in order to resist the tax!"

As soon as Chen Xiancheng finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn. Everyone looked at each other, and saw deep worry in each other's eyes.

"We have also heard about what happened in the northwest." Shi Zhubu said in a deep voice, "Those peasants are so bold that they dare to resist the imperial court's taxation."

"Yes, the current situation is turbulent and people's hearts are unstable." Zhou Dianshi also echoed, "We must act carefully and not push too hard, so as not to provoke a civil uprising."

Chen County Magistrate nodded, knowing that everyone's worries were not unnecessary. At this precarious moment, any spark could cause a fire.

"So, when we collect grain, we must be careful about what we do," said County Magistrate Chen in a deep voice. "We must complete the task without arousing public anger."

"So what should we do specifically?" asked Shi Zhubu.

"I thought about it and decided that we could first persuade those wealthy families to produce more food." County Magistrate Chen expressed his thoughts. "But if there are any troublemakers who want to cause trouble, send them directly to the mine! The coal mine is the main source of tax revenue for our county. The more people there are, the better!"

"This method is feasible." Zhou Dianshi nodded, "This will not only ensure that our mission is completed, but also scare off those who want to cause trouble."

"Okay, that's settled then." County Magistrate Chen made the decision, "We will split up tomorrow and complete the task within the time limit set by the county magistrate."

Everyone agreed. They knew that although the task was arduous, they could only do their best. After all, in this chaotic world, who could tell what would happen tomorrow?

As the night deepened, the lights in Chen County Magistrate's mansion gradually went out. However, in this stormy night, no one could sleep peacefully. They were all worried about the coming tomorrow and the turbulent times.

Sun Ying, as a prestigious figure in Xishan County, usually enjoys great glory. But in today's world, with all the changes happening around the world, even a figure like him cannot escape the fate of being swept away by worldly affairs.

One day, Sun Ying was sitting in his study, sipping tea, when he heard hurried footsteps outside the door, followed by a servant's respectful voice: "Master, the county government sent someone to deliver an invitation letter."

Sun Ying frowned slightly, and had a premonition in his heart. He took the invitation letter and saw the large gold-plated characters on the cover, shining brightly, but exuding an irresistible majesty. He slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter inside. It said: "In response to the court's call to raise military funds, we invite you to come to the county government at noon tomorrow to discuss donation matters."

After reading the letter, Sun Ying smiled bitterly. He raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky outside the window, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "This is not an invitation letter at all! It's clearly an attempt to rip me off!"

Although he was dissatisfied, he could do nothing about it. In this world, who can really escape? He secretly felt lucky that he had sent people to rob Chen Jun's food that night, making Chen Jun mistakenly believe that the food was robbed by the people of Qingshan Village. In this way, even if his donation was a little less, he would have an explanation and it would not be too conspicuous.

Sun Ying frowned, but his heart was in turmoil. He knew that this donation was just the beginning, and he would definitely collect taxes from various towns. How could those who could not afford to eat pay taxes? After all, Sun Ying was a half-gangster. He had also heard that those gangsters who came and went in the county had said that in the northwest, many people had already established themselves in the mountains. Many people fled to the mountains to avoid taxes.

"Maybe it's time to prepare early!" Sun Ying murmured to himself.

At this time, all towns and villages did start to collect grain! Some village heads, but not as easy to talk to as the village head of Qinghe Village, led people to collect grain from house to house. This made the villagers in these villages have to take away all the grain they had saved with great difficulty. Some people simply hid in the mountains to avoid it, and waited until the tax collectors left before coming down.