I clearly wanted to be a tyrant, but how did I become the greatest emperor of all time?

There are vacancies for clerks in these places, but that doesn't mean that no one wants to be a clerk.

It’s because the local area cannot afford to support so many people, so there are so many gaps.

To fill so many positions at once, governors and governors-general from all over the country had to ask the Ministry of Revenue for money.

Minister Kang was almost overwhelmed.

This is exactly the effect we want!

Tang Xiaoren took a sip of tea and said, "Lord Kang, how about collecting commercial taxes?"

Minister Kang was startled and asked, "Imposing commercial taxes?"

"Several border counties have trade relations with Beimang, and Beishang is well-known throughout the country."

“Instead of letting them get rich overnight, it is better to collect business taxes from them.”

"With this money, the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue can be relieved."

Minister Kang thought about it and it seemed that this was the only way left.

Tang Xiaoren immediately took out a memorial: "This is the memorial I wrote. Lord Kang, please also sign your name."

It turns out that the Prime Minister had already made plans and was waiting for me here!

However, Minister Kang had no room for bargaining.

Just write your own name.

Soon, this memorial was delivered to Li Tianlong's case.

Li Tianzheng was so absorbed in the Queen's charming manner that he didn't even bother to look at Tang Hanxue's red ribbon.

As soon as he saw that it was a memorial from Tang Xiaoren, he approved it directly with his red ink.

Under the flickering candlelight, Tang Hanxue, wearing a yellow tight dress, was raising her hand to gently rub the ink.

Li Tian's mind also swayed with the candlelight.

These days, the queen's luxurious temperament is more like a mature woman's charm.

Especially such a cool and graceful woman, whose pretty face often blushes when teased by Li Tian.

Li Tian quickly approved the memorial and then pulled Tang Hanxue into the back hall.

Luzhou.

A small border county.

Qi Dazhuang, a clerk, was entertaining his comrades in the household department at home.

This comrade lost one eye on the battlefield, so everyone called him Blind Zhang.

As time went by, everyone forgot his original name.

Qi Dazhuang and Xiazi Zhang were both outsiders and were marginalized in the county government.

However, the county magistrate valued them very much and was very close to them.

Qi Dazhuang's wife was busy in the kitchen.

After arriving in Luzhou, Qi Dazhuang's family has more laughter and joy.

Dong Liao is bitterly cold and although the land is vast and sparsely populated, it is difficult to cultivate.

Moreover, Qi Dazhuang was just a retired soldier with broken feet in Dong Liao.

Now he is a county clerk and a well-known figure in the entire county!

Qi Dazhuang's family thus escaped from the predicament.

They bought land in Luzhou, and Qi Dazhuang's son went to study in a private school in the county.

Life gradually became better.

Qi Dazhuang and Blind Zhang were sitting together drinking.

Inevitably, they talked about county affairs again.

Qi Dazhuang said, "Brother Zhang, how are you dealing with those troublemakers?"

Blind Zhang said with a smile: "Those little bastards were playing tricks on me, but I have already dealt with them well."

Qi Dazhuang laughed.

The arrival of these remnants of the army took over the positions that originally belonged to the powerful families.

So after taking office, there were people making trouble in the dark from time to time.

There are many such guys under Qi Dazhuang's command.

However, Qi Dazhuang and Zhang the Blind, who have fought on the battlefield, are not fools.

Moreover, they have a ruthlessness that these children of wealthy families do not possess.

With the support of the county magistrate, he quickly drove away the group of disobedient clerks under his command.

Blind Zhang suddenly asked, "Brother Qi, have you heard of the ghost market in the county?"

Qi Dazhuang nodded: "Of course, the knife that cut off one of my legs was sold to Beimang from there."

Beimang lacks iron and even more so craftsmen.

The Beimang soldiers were poorly equipped at the beginning, and relied on the advantage of cavalry to barely fight against the infantry of the Great Zhou.

But since when, the Northern Mang also had high-quality machetes.

Some of Beimang's elite troops are even equipped with armor.

Qi Dazhuang's leg was chopped off by a Beimang soldier with a sharp machete.

Speaking of this, Qi Dazhuang couldn't help but show hatred in his eyes.

It is almost common knowledge that the county's Chamber of Commerce is secretly communicating with Beimang and conducting transactions in secret.

The Ghost Market is the market for trading with Beimang.

Almost all the wealthy and powerful people in the county will take part in this carnival of trading with Beimang!

Tea, salt, weapons, etc.

These are things that the imperial court prohibits from being exported to Beimang.

They were all sold to Beimang by the big chambers of commerce.

They exchanged them for ginseng, oriental pearls, fine furs and other goods that were very popular in the capital.

To make a profit from this.

The house built by local gentry was even more luxurious than the residence of the Eastern Liao general.

Qi Dazhuang and Zhang the Blind are both soldiers who have fought on the battlefield.

He hated Beimang so much.

And they hate those who collude with Beimang even more.

The magistrate also understood their thoughts and asked them to be patient for the time being.

Qi Dazhuang and Blind Zhang have been secretly collecting information about the ghost market.

The two of them drank to their heart's content.

The next morning, a minor clerk came over and said that the magistrate had an important matter to discuss.

Qi Dazhuang and Blind Zhang immediately put on their official robes and went to the county government office.

The magistrate, wearing a navy blue official robe, was talking to the chief clerk.

These two were both scholars and his superiors. Although Qi Dazhuang came from a military background, he respected them very much.

It was only then that Qi Dazhuang realized that although they were supposed to be discussing important matters, only four people came.

The magistrate, the chief clerk, Qi Dazhuang and the blind clerk Zhang.

After the magistrate closed the hall door, he said to Qi Dazhuang, "Qi Dianli, the court has just issued an order to levy commercial taxes on merchants in all regions."

Upon hearing this, Blind Zhang trembled all over.

The Great Zhou Dynasty originally had commercial taxes, but they were taxes levied on traveling merchants.

The extraction ratio is not high either.

The imperial court never levied taxes on the most profitable part of local merchants.

Are we going to take action against the big households in various places?

Qi Dazhuang suddenly realized, no wonder the magistrate was so cautious.

If the news leaks out, the wealthy people in the county will cause trouble.

The magistrate sighed and said, "Now I understand your majesty's intention! Sending you two loyal soldiers to take up the post in this county is to help me equip myself with help in advance!"

When the county magistrate first took office, he was oppressed for a while by the local powerful families.

It took him a lot of effort to reach a balance with the local powerful families.

Some county magistrates with poor abilities might even be sidelined by local powerful families.

But now the magistrate, relying on his trusted chief clerk and the support of Qi Dazhuang and Xiazi Zhang, has firmly grasped the power of the county government.

The magistrate said: "The court has issued a decree to destroy the ghost market in the northern region!"

"The imperial court will also collect heavy taxes from any wealthy family that participates in the ghost market!"

"If you don't explain how much you earn, then you will be taxed according to your assets!"

"The court increased the commercial tax rate and ordered each county to establish a special trade market in the city."

"Dingli, you are responsible for maintaining public order in the county. If there is unrest, you must suppress it immediately!"

"Hufang, you are responsible for leading people to calculate the tax amount. When the market is established in the future, you will also be responsible for collecting taxes."

"You two, this is a major plan of the imperial court! For His Majesty, we must succeed!"