Surviving In The Ancient Times With Limitless Supplies
Chapter 65: Tax Collection

Chapter 65: Tax Collection

The merchant put a fake smile on his face and politely asked, "Didn’t we just pay the tax two days ago? Why is the Emperor going to collect taxes again? What kind of tax is it now?"

The soldier’s face darkened, and when he spoke, there was a bit of displeasure in his voice.

"We only do what we ordered." He said with a frown on his face.

After speaking, he took out a bamboo scroll from his waist, opened it and asked, "What is your name, Sir?"

The merchant frowned, but he didn’t dare to confront the soldiers. He lowered his eyes to hide his anger, and answered the soldier’s questions. Knowing his name, the soldier looked for his name on the list for a while.

"You need to pay twenty thousand taels of silver." The soldier spoke after a while.

The merchant was taken aback when he heard the total amount of taxes he had to pay. "What?! Twenty thousand taels of silver?!"

He staggered as his eyes darkened. Fortunately, the manservant reacted quickly and supported his body before he fell to the ground. After the dizziness subsided, the merchant looked at the soldiers pleadingly.

"Sir, where did I get so much money? I just paid taxes two days ago, and I really have no money right now. Can... Can you give me more time to collect the money?" He asked with hope in his eyes.

The soldier put away the bamboo scroll and looked helplessly at the merchant’s pleading eyes. He sighed and said, "It’s not that I don’t want to give you time. But if the tax is not collected before sunset tomorrow, everyone under the Defender Army will be sentenced with the capital crime of beheading nine generations, including my general. We really have no choice!"

The merchant looked at the soldiers’ gloomy faces and found out that the rim of their eyes were slightly red. After a moment of silence, the merchant weakly said, "Since I can’t pay in cash, can I... Can I use other things to pay taxes instead?"

The soldiers nodded, and one of them said, "As long as the value reaches the lower limit of twenty thousand taels of silver, anything can be used for paying the tax. Most preferable is food."

After the soldier finished speaking, the merchant nodded and gestured to the manservant.

"Go and inform Madam. Tell her the amount we need to prepare to pay the taxes." He said wearily.

The manservant bowed slightly and said, "Yes, master."

The manservant hurried to inform the madam, as the three soldiers and the merchant were waiting there in silence. The same situation happens simultaneously in countless residences in the imperial capital city. However, unlike the polite manner of the three soldiers in the rich merchant’s residence, the other soldiers did not explain much, and only tried to collect the tax as soon as possible.

That night, the imperial capital city was shrouded in a gloomy and hopeless atmosphere, and every citizen tried to keep quiet as much as possible, pretending that they were not at home. The soldiers under the command of the Defender General who originally guarded the safety of the people, became a group of thieves in the eyes of the people because of Huang Fu’s self-interest and Emperor Ming’s indifference.

Despite knowing about all of this, the soldiers collected taxes without stopping until the next afternoon. When Wang Yong came back to the barrack to report to Li Zhiyong, he saw Huang Fu there. Walking into the general’s tent and seeing Huang Fu drinking tea leisurely, Wang Yong’s face darkened. If possible, he really wanted to tear Huang Fu into pieces at this moment.

Wang Yong clasped his fists and saluted Li Zhiyuan, while saying, "General, the tax collection has been completed."

Before Li Zhiyuan could speak, Huang Fu had already stood up and spoke with a bright smile on his face.

"Since the tax collection has been completed, let’s go and have a look. Lieutenant Wang, please lead the way." Huang Fu said while beckoning Wang Yong to lead the way.

Wang Yong ignored Huang Fu, stood motionless and did not speak. Seeing Wang Yong’s blatant disrespect, Huang Fu smiled instead of showing anger. He looked back at Li Zhiyuan who was sitting in the main seat behind the big table.

"General Li, please." Huang Fu had a polite smile on his face, but there’s a trace of mocking tone in his voice.

Noticing that Huang Fu spoke to Li Zhiyuan with a mocking tone, Wang Yong clenched his hands tightly, trying to keep himself calm. Knowing that Huang Fu was the most trusted minister under Emperor Ming, Li Zhiyuan had no choice but to give him a face.

Li Zhiyuan stood up from his seat and walked out of the tent without saying a word. Following behind him was Wang Yong who was burning with anger. Looking at their backs, Huang Fu sneered and followed.

Wang Yong led the way and brought Li Zhiyuan and Huang Fu to the main field which is the training ground for the soldiers. Standing on the platform, he looked at Li Zhiyuan and said, "General, the taxes are all here."

Li Zhiyuan looked at countless large boxes, which were filled with silver ingots, jewelries, and valuables. He also noticed grain sacks stacked high on the side. Looking at those things in the middle of the training ground, he lowered his eyes to hide his anger and disappointment.

’This is all the sweat and tears of the people! Why does the Emperor only listen to corrupt officials like Huang Fu?! Is there really no common people in the Emperor’s heart? Is it right for me to remain loyal to such an Emperor?’

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Zhiyuan’s mind, but it actually only took a few seconds. Seeing that he didn’t speak, Wang Yong just waited patiently, while Huang Fu looked at Li Zhiyuan with displeasure.

With a fake smile on Huang Fu’s face, he said, "Since the tax collection has been completed, then it should be sent to Left Prime Minister Yang’s residence immediately, so as not to delay the matter about the military rations."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for Li Zhiyuan to respond, Huang Fu raised his hand and said, "Take it away!"

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