Dreaming back to 1949, the great powers were there to deceive us

Hu Zhenhua's three tricks almost blocked Liao Yongxiang's way of tax evasion.

In fact, if Liao Yongxiang was smart enough, he could register his residence and garden as a club, so that he could enjoy the minimum tax rate of 2%.

As a landlord of the old times, it was impossible for him to have such insight.

Even if he had this vision, he could not accept a 2% annual property tax, which was inconsistent with thousands of years of practice.

I've never heard of being taxed for living in your own house!

When has the squire ever suffered such humiliation?

Hu Zhenhua’s old Taishan King, once again became the first to stand out.

The first family that the town mayor Guo Huai went to collect taxes on was his!

Wang Yunsheng blocked the door, waving his cane and threateningly said,

"You can come in if you want, but you have to step over my old bones!"

Guo Huai didn't dare to confront him forcefully, so he turned around and shouted to the crowd,

"Fellow villagers! We have said before that all land belongs to the state. Logically, the government should take back all the land and redistribute it, but considering the reality, we did not do so!"

Seeing that everyone was listening intently, Guo Huai continued,

"But some people live in simple shacks, while others have hundreds of houses. For example, Mr. Wang's family has over 60 houses, and his livestock live better than many of us ordinary people! Is this fair? The land belongs to the state, why should your family take more?"

Mr. Wang stiffened his neck and shouted,

"I didn't steal or rob these lands, I bought them!"

Guo Huai retorted,

"The people who sold you the land are reactionaries. They stole state land and engaged in illegal transactions! If you don't accept it, you can follow them! The current government is the people's government, the government of us poor people! Either you return the extra houses you've occupied, or you pay taxes!"

Guo Huai's tone became stern.

"Mr. Wang, don't think I won't touch you just because you have someone to back me! To tell you the truth, even Chairman Hu paid taxes on the villa he bought in the county. If you think you're tough enough, go ahead and give it a try!"

When Wang Yunsheng heard this, he swung his cane and smashed it down.

"I'll beat you to death, you bunch of bandits! Not only have you taken my land, but now you're going after my house! Hu Zhenhua pays taxes, but the money just flows from one hand to the other and ends up in his own pocket!"

Guo Huai retorted as he ran,

"Grandpa Wang, be careful with your words! All property taxes are collected from the people and used for the people. For example, all taxes collected in Xiaowangzhuang will be used in Xiaowangzhuang, such as road construction, bridge construction, and village beautification. The town government will not use a single cent. Moreover, how this money is used is entirely up to the people of Xiaowangzhuang!"

Mr. Wang naturally didn't believe it and cursed,

"What do you mean by taking from the people? You're just going to eat the rich!"

"How can this be considered taking advantage of the rich? We are acting in accordance with the law. If you don't want to pay taxes, then let your wife have more children. As long as the tax exemption conditions are met, I will never come again. But before that, you must pay every penny of tax. If you dare to resist taxes, the government has plenty of ways to deal with you. First, your family's 30 acres of paddy fields will no longer be able to use the water from the canal. Also, your shop's business license will be revoked, your children will not be allowed to go to school, and Wang Jiamu will be banned from participating in the election of farmers' representatives!"

Old Master Wang's hair and beard stood on end, and he ran even faster, wishing he could smash Guo Huai's head with his cane.

"You're persecuting others by association! You're breaking the law! My fellow villagers, if they can do this to me today, they can do the same to you tomorrow!"

Guo Huai's expression changed slightly, and he shouted,

"Nonsense! To govern a chaotic world, we must use harsh punishments! If the government doesn't use strong measures, how can we punish stubborn elements like you? As for your claim that I'm breaking the law, that's simply not true! There are two ways to remove me: one is removal by my superiors, and the other is removal by a vote of the people of Dongping Town! You choose which method to use!"

After all, Wang Yunsheng was nearly sixty years old. After running for a while, he couldn't run anymore. He stopped panting.

How is it possible to dismiss Guo Huai!

Guo Huai saw Wang Jiawu and shouted loudly,

"Head of the Wang family, feeding your family isn't a skill. What we're pursuing is shared prosperity. In the past, during the lean years, would your children dare to go out? While taxation does harm your family's interests, it benefits the entire Xiaowang Village..."

Wang Jia did not interrupt him,

"Mayor Guo, you don't need to say anything more. We will pay the taxes!"

Guo Huai laughed heartily.

"You are indeed a popular candidate for the Farmers' Representative. You are so conscious! Fellow villagers, let us give a warm round of applause to thank the Wang family for their generosity!"

Old Master Wang originally wanted to scold the Wang family: I’m not dead yet, when will it be your turn to be the boss of this family!

But the warm applause calmed him down a lot.

As the saying goes, a strong father makes a weak son.

In the past, Wang Jiawu would never dare to disobey his grandfather, but recently he has been exposed to many new ideas and his character has become more resolute.

Wang Jia didn't wait for the applause to die down, and asked in confusion,

"Are the farmers' representatives elected by the people? How come I didn't know about this?"

Guo Huai: %...￥...

He looked at Wang Yunsheng meaningfully.

Maybe it was the old man's idea, or maybe he wanted to disgust Hu Zhenhua in this way.

Wang Yunsheng raised his cane and pointed at Guo Huai.

"What are you looking at? Believe it or not, I'll dig out your dead fish eyes and step on them like fish!"

Guo Huai turned his head and said with a smile,

"The election of farmers' representatives must be voluntary. If..."

Mr. Wang jumped out and roared,

"Of course I volunteered! This is my family affair. Take the money and get out of here! Are you still waiting for me to invite you to dinner?"

Guo Huai's purpose was to collect taxes and set an example. Now that his goal had been achieved, he did not want to cause any more trouble, so he immediately ordered people to verify the value of the Wang family's house and levy taxes proportionally.

After dealing with this troublemaker, Guo Huai went straight to Liao Yongxiang's house.

Among the landlords in the entire Dongping Town, Wang Yunsheng represents the strong backers, while Liao Yongxiang represents the leader!

As long as the two of them compromise, the rest will be easy.

To deal with Liao Yongxiang, you need to be strategic.

One hand must be firm and the other must be soft.

When Guo Huai rushed to Liao's house, Liao Yongxiang was in a daze in the garden. Although he was always sociable, this time he did not get up.

There are tall bluestone walls around Liao's house to guard against bandits and rebel soldiers.

In traditional culture, identities and status are clearly defined, and this is reflected in the names of residences.

Mansion, residence, house, home, courtyard, house, hut, and residence have different meanings and correspond to different classes.

The palace is the residence of the royal family.

The residences of high-ranking officials including prime ministers, secretaries and grand councilors were called houses or residences.

The residence of noble and wealthy people is called a big house or courtyard.

The residence of ordinary people is called home.

She refers to people's temporary residence and also a place to receive visitors.

The Liao family is called a house, which shows their status.

Guo Huai sat down under the guidance of the housekeeper and said with a smile,

"Mr. Liao has a refined taste. He is unmoved by praise or criticism, and leisurely watches the flowers in the courtyard bloom and fall. He has no concern for coming or staying, and casually follows the clouds in the sky."

Liao Yongxiang still couldn't muster up any interest, and replied casually,

"The dry bones in the grave!"

Guo Huai burst into laughter.

"In my opinion, there's a hidden dragon in the abyss! We're in an era of great change. Only by breaking down the old can we establish the new! What's old? Everything that hinders social stability is old! What's new? What benefits the people is new!"

Liao Yongxiang raised his head and asked casually,

"Bleeding me, does that mean it's good for the people?"

"Mr. Liao, if you think this way, you don't understand the government's intentions. Chongming in the future will be dominated by industry and commerce."

"Industry and commerce?"

Guo Huai nodded slightly and continued,

"The country has been weak for a hundred years, and historical experience has proven that only industry and commerce offer a way out. Therefore, the government's major policy is to direct capital toward industry and commerce. In China, who is the wealthiest group? The gentry! Mr. Liao, do you dare to say that your family doesn't have a secret vault?"

Liao Yongxiang: ￥%&……

Without a secret vault, can you still be called a rich landlord?

Guo Huai continued to deceive,

"I just talked about development, and now I'm going to talk about stability! Over 90% of China's population are farmers. If we don't properly address the livelihood of farmers, society will be in chaos. Mr. Liao, you are well-versed in classics and history, and you should know that dynasties throughout history have always fallen because farmers could not survive and rose up in rebellion. It can be said that farmers are the foundation of China. In the future, the government will intensify its crackdown on the gentry. Those who observe the situation are wise, those who follow the trend are intelligent, and those who control the situation are unparalleled in the world. Mr. Liao, what are your plans?"

Liao Yongxiang shuddered!

He is not an ordinary person. Judging from recent events, it is really as Guo Huai said.

The Liao family's shops and workshops were not affected. On the contrary, after the foxes and rats in the city were completely eliminated, the burden on the business was greatly reduced.

However, in rural areas, the government frequently took action to crack down on landlords and gentry.

Liao Yongxiang sat up straight and shouted,

"Butler, hurry up and serve tea to the mayor. Take the jar of Rain-Previous Longjing tea from my study!"

He stood up, held Guo Huai's hand, and smiled as warm as the spring breeze.

"Mayor, I'm in a bad mood today and I'm sorry for being negligent!"

"Mr. Liao, what are you talking about? Guo is a public servant, and all he does is run errands. The bureaucratic ways won't work in the people's government."

Liao Yongxiang bowed slightly, with a look of shame on his face. However, he was still unsure and asked,

"Are the higher-ups really not going to take advantage of the rich?"

"As for big investors, are you comparable to Chairman Hu Zhenhua?"

"That's true."

Guo Huai took out a catalog, handed it to Liao Yongxiang, and said with a smile,

"This is the investment list published by the county government. The preferential categories include 402 sub-sectors across major industries. If you think the technology is too high, you can also invest in ordinary factories. Oh, and by the way, industrial real estate is not subject to property tax."

"Let me see!"

The preferential catalogue covers many industries including aviation, shipbuilding, machine tools, new materials, medicine, chemicals, etc.

These are industries with technological barriers, and Liao Yongxiang is unable to participate.

The more technologically advanced an industry is, the less tax the government will levy and the more financial subsidies it will provide.

Liao Yongxiang closed the catalog, thinking that he could only work in traditional industries.

"Mayor, you have a broad vision. Can you give me some advice on which industry I should pursue?"

Guo Huai only gave the general direction.

"We produce what the market needs. Mr. Liao, you should go out more often and see what business is like today. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles!"

Liao Yongxiang deeply agreed with this. He looked around and realized that his garden was the result of the hard work of several generations!

Are we just going to compromise like this?

He knew exactly what the rumor was about. It was the higher-ups who were "reminding" him!

"Mayor, my little garden..."

He couldn't continue speaking and hoped that Guo Huai would show mercy.

"Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone, Mr. Liao. If we want this garden to be passed down forever, we need more people to care for it. What do you think?"

Liao Yongxiang raised his head and looked at the towering fir trees.

The fir tree is called Yunxiao, which means lofty ambitions. It was transplanted by his great-grandfather and has a history of hundreds of years.

Several generations of the Liao family have swung on the swing.

It can be said that the person who accompanied Liao Yongxiang the most was not his wife or children, but Yunxiao.

"Mayor, the Liao family will never become a destabilizing factor in the countryside!"

Guo Huai shook his head.

"The gentry class must be thoroughly liquidated! The people's government cannot move forward with its problems. This is not a question of who is right or wrong, but a necessity of the situation. Mr. Liao, do you dare to say that the Liao family can withstand an investigation?"

Liao Yongxiang no longer had any hope of luck. He stroked the cracked bark and sighed,

"It takes ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person! People are more important than trees! Money is ultimately just a thing outside of the body!"

Guo Huai was overjoyed. It was refreshing to talk to an intelligent person. If old man Wang Yunsheng could be so insightful, why would he bother to be so aggressive with him?

"Mr. Liao, be willing to give up, only by giving up can you gain!"

Liao Yongxiang patted the giant tree and made up his mind.

"I've donated Baixiang Garden, and I'll also donate a primary school next to it!"

Guo Huai did not expect that he would achieve his goal so quickly. He was overjoyed and shouted,

"Mr. Liao, I thank you on behalf of the people of Dongping Town! Not a blade of grass or a tree here will be moved. The primary school you helped build will be called Baixiangyuan Primary School. The town government will also erect a stone statue of you at the school gate. Those who contribute to the people deserve to be remembered by the people!"

Liao Yongxiang didn't expect there would be an unexpected surprise. His mind became active again and he asked,

"What about my campaign for Farmer Representative?"

Guo Huai's face froze, and he said angrily,

“It depends on public opinion.”

Liao Yongxiang: ￥%...