Transmigration begins with archery training

"I'm asking you one last time, are you going to pay this tax or not?!"

The tax official squinted, looking impatiently at the family of three in front of him.

Zhang Shun said matter-of-factly, "Sir, our family paid the autumn tax ten days ago!"

The tax official held up the booklet in his hand and sneered, "You've already paid. Why isn't your family's name written on it?"

"impossible!"

Zhang Shun shouted, "I saw you write it with my own eyes! You're trying to collect taxes from my family twice!"

"Bloody mouth!"

The tax official lashed out with his whip, knocking the boy to the ground: "Why don't I collect taxes from other families, but only from yours?!"

A bloody furrow appeared on Zhang Shun's face on the spot.

He gritted his teeth and tried to argue, but Aunt Li hurriedly stopped him, forcing a smile: "Shunzi, shut up. The adults said you didn't pay, so you didn't pay."

The child is too young to understand how ruthless the tax officials are.

There's a saying: "It's not the officials you should fear, but the ones who manage you." Don't underestimate tax officials just because they're minor officials; sometimes they can be more terrifying than county magistrates!

"Sir, please wait here. I'll go back to the house and get the money to make up the difference!"

Aunt Li didn't know when her family had offended the tax official, so she decided to get through this hurdle first.

She rushed home to get the money.

Shortly after, a scream of despair came from inside the house.

"Oh my God!"

"Where's the money—?"

The thirteen taels of silver that they had hidden at the bottom of the water vat had all vanished!

Hearing the commotion, Zhang's limping father stumbled inside and, seeing that the place where he had hidden the money was empty, collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Thief! Thief!"

The tax official lost his patience and lashed out twice at Zhang's father's back with his whip: "Are you trying to fool me?!"

"grown ups!"

Zhang's father grimaced in pain: "My family's silver was originally kept here, thirteen taels, thirteen taels!"

The tax official scoffed, "I could have said I had three thousand taels of gold at home! If you don't have the money, then confess honestly!"

"father--"

When Zhang Shun saw his father being beaten, he rushed over in a panic, only to be whipped to the ground and his face covered in blood.

He lay on the ground, completely bewildered.

It wasn't until two figures in white robes in the crowd of onlookers gave him triumphant smiles that he suddenly realized what was going on.

"You, it's you!"

Zhang Shun staggered to his feet and rushed towards the two disciples, shouting, "Give me back my silver!"

"Fuck your mother!"

The slightly overweight disciple kicked the boy to the ground: "Where's the evidence?!"

Zhang Shun was furious: "You've colluded with the tax officials!"

"Spouting blood."

Upon hearing this, the tax official raised his hand and lashed out with the whip several more times, leaving the boy with torn and bleeding skin.

"Damn you, you troublemaker!"

"They're like mad dogs, biting anyone they see. Arrest them!"

"Send the old man to Cangzhou to build the city wall, and the young one to Hezhou to repair the river!"

The villagers watching remained silent, terrified.

Seeing this, almost everyone understood what was going on, but no one dared to say anything.

Officials and military men were not people that ordinary people dared to offend.

If the officials want you dead, you have to die.

Zhang Shun was covered in blood and dirt, and he roared in extreme frustration.

He worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, saving up silver for four whole years, just to learn a few moves so he could make an easy living in the future. Why did it turn out like this?

Is it because he didn't work hard enough?

"Shunzi!"

A strong, resonant voice rang out.

Chen Sanshi squeezed through the crowd.

Upon seeing the two martial arts school disciples, he immediately guessed what had happened.

Shunzi offended them by splashing gold juice, so they plotted revenge, bribing the tax official to collect taxes twice and stealing the deposited silver, hoping to kill Shunzi's family directly in this way.

Thinking back on it, Chen Sanshi felt a little scared.

If Qin Xiong had been willing to spend money to bribe officials, he might have ended up in the same situation.

He stepped forward: "Sir, may I pay the taxes on your behalf?"

"Brother Shi?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shun was so ashamed that he couldn't lift his head.

He hadn't persisted to the end before, and had taken out his money to help Shi Ge'er. How could he have the face to ask Shi Ge'er for help?

Aunt Li and her husband were equally ashamed, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

Not only them, but the villagers watching also looked astonished.

"Ok?"

The tax official's face darkened: "Kid, are you sure you want to meddle in other people's business?"

"I would never dare to interfere with your official duties, sir."

Chen Sanshi pulled the tax official to a corner, pointed at Zhang's father, and whispered, "But this cripple can't do any work. He might die on the way, wasting all the food."

The tax official raised an eyebrow: "You mean..."

Chen Sanshi secretly slipped two taels of silver into his hand: "Sir, let's forget about the cripple. As for Zhang Shun, he was disrespectful to you, so he deserves to do hard labor."

That's all he could do.

The other party was clearly targeting Zhang Shun; Zhang's father was merely implicated.

If Chen Sanshi insists on stepping forward, not only will it not change the outcome, but it will also bring trouble upon himself.

As he spoke, the two martial arts school disciples stared intently at him from the crowd.

It's better to save as many as possible.

After all, Zhang Shun was young, and there was a 20% chance he would survive if he went to perform corvée labor.

"Heh, you've got a good job."

The tax official found it amusing.

He accepted money to teach Zhang Shun a lesson. The old man was dispensable anyway, so why not earn an extra two taels of silver?

Thinking this through, he calmly accepted the silver and announced, "The head of the Zhang family has paid his taxes. Release him, and take the young man away to Hezhou!"

The result is finalized.

Those present basically understood what was going on.

"Little Stone's move was brilliant. He didn't offend anyone and he also saved Shunzi's father."

"This kid really is a loyal and affectionate person."

"It's a pity he stopped studying; otherwise, he would definitely have been a good official."

"Little Stone, I, Baldhead, am impressed by you this time!"

The villagers whispered among themselves, expressing their admiration for Chen Sanshi's actions.

"Shunzi."

Chen Sanshi walked up to the thin, dark-skinned boy and gently patted him on the shoulder: "I did my best."

"elder brother!"

Zhang Shun knelt down with a thud: "You saved my life and my father's life. If I can come back alive, I will definitely repay you by serving you like a slave!"

He kowtowed three times.

"Are you putting on a show? Stop talking nonsense and get out of here!"

The yamen runners took Zhang Shun away, while the tax official continued to count the next household.

Aunt Li fainted on the spot after crying as her son left, and Father Zhang sat on the ground, numb.

Similar scenes will continue to unfold on this final day of the autumn tax season.

At least one-tenth of the men in Poyang County will be arrested.

The vast majority of them are farmers.

For three hundred years, land annexation resulted in over 90% of the land inside and outside Poyang County becoming the property of wealthy landowners and martial arts schools.

Farmers were mostly tenant farmers.

Every year, half of the harvest has to be paid as rent, and the rest has to be paid as taxes. At the end of the year, they can barely make ends meet.

"Sir, please spare my life!"

"After several years of poor harvests, we still have to plant 10% of 'Linghe' on every acre of land. We really can't survive."

"Stop talking nonsense and take it away!"

"..."

The Great Sheng Dynasty had a wide variety of tax revenue methods.

The most bizarre of all has to be the "Immortal Tax".

Fifty years ago, in the twenty-first year of the Longqing Emperor's reign, the Longqing Emperor had a dream in which he claimed to have seen an immortal. The immortal gave him a batch of seeds, saying that these seeds could grow into a magical herb. He said that by offering this magical herb to the immortal, the empire could be preserved for thousands of years.

Therefore, starting from the twenty-second year of the Longqing reign, the emperor issued an edict.

One-tenth of all arable land in the country must be planted with "Linghe" (a type of medicinal herb). Those without arable land must also pay taxes in silver.

The problem is that this "spiritual herb" is not a magical herb at all. Not only is it inedible, but it is also poisonous, and extremely poisonous at that!

If an ordinary person were to eat this, they would die instantly!

This was tantamount to wasting the land, making life even harder for the tenants who were already barely surviving.

Chen Sanshi stood by the edge of the field, and within half an hour, he saw at least three or four families' men being taken away, not even sparing seventy-year-old men.

Bitter!

The people are suffering!

Material oppression was bad enough, but mental oppression was even worse. Officials and martial arts disciples were all considered masters, so who would dare to provoke them?

Just now, when Chen Sanshi was saving people.

He would never forget the look in the eyes of the two martial arts school disciples.

It's as if saying the wrong thing could lead to utter ruin.

This feeling is really unpleasant.

Because he was a commoner, he was oppressed and exploited everywhere and lived a very cautious life.

He suddenly made a decision.

Old Xu said something incorrect.

In this kind of world, living a peaceful life is a luxury for ordinary people.

Only by fighting hard can we have a chance to turn things around!

"Tomorrow, I'm joining the army!"