roccoschili Chapter 16 Unexpected Disaster
Chapter 16 Unexpected Disaster
Of all the affairs in this county, the most important is naturally tax collection.
Whether in modern times or ancient times, there are countless ways to manipulate the issue of taxation.
Yang Chengde, the person in charge, could naturally reap considerable benefits from this, and if he handled it well, he could also accumulate a lot of merit.
Don't forget, Yang Chengde also came from a legitimate imperial examination background. If given the chance, who wouldn't want to climb the ranks?
As for the other clerks and runners who followed him, most of them were locals from Yanggu, and were low-ranking officials outside the official system.
Even if you are the county magistrate's direct superior, you can only manage him for a maximum of three years. After three years, he will either be promoted or transferred to another post, and you will have no control over him anymore.
Therefore, these local tyrants naturally listen to whoever offers them the most benefits.
Compared to Yang Chengde, Li Chong, a newly arrived county magistrate, was not as competitive.
Moreover, they were not deliberately ostracizing Li Chong. If Li Chong had simply followed the established procedures to become the county magistrate, he would have received his due tribute.
No matter what, he was an official appointed by the imperial court, and in people's minds, the Northern Song Dynasty had not yet reached the point of collapse.
A county magistrate wields considerable power, and if he were to offend him, the locals would be in serious trouble.
A county magistrate who ruined his family, a magistrate who exterminated his entire clan.
If a county magistrate really wants to fight someone to the death, no one can withstand the retaliation.
Therefore, this has led to the awkward situation that Li Chong is facing now.
The clerks and runners in the government office dared not offend him, but because of Yang Chengde's presence, they were also hesitant to get close to him. This awkward situation left them somewhat at a loss.
Li Chong sat at the head of the table, watching Yang Chengde's earnest explanation, realizing that he couldn't simply seize power directly.
Regardless of whether Yang Chengde might have set a trap, Li Chong, the magistrate in charge of land reclamation, felt that there was something very wrong with just one thing.
The laws enacted by Yang Jian might very well trigger a peasant uprising, in which case the spearhead would be aimed directly at the frontline workers.
Therefore, if Li Chong wanted to establish his authority, he had to start from other aspects, and in directions that Yang Chengde would never have thought of.
"Hmm~~~"
Li Chong nodded thoughtfully: "What Clerk Yang said makes sense."
"Uh-huh?"
Yang Chengde looked at Li Chong with a slight surprise, seemingly not expecting Li Chong to say that.
According to Yang Chengde's plan, after he made it clear that he was unwilling to relinquish power, Li Chong's reaction would be limited to a few possibilities.
Either he's using his position as county magistrate to interfere in the summer tax collection, or he's tacitly agreeing to it, and he wouldn't mind sharing some of the benefits with Li Chong.
Li Chong's serious agreement with his words was something Yang Chengde hadn't anticipated.
Before Yang Chengde could figure it out, Li Chong changed the subject and continued, "However, in my opinion, the summer tax is not the most important official business for Yanggu at the moment. The most important official business is something else entirely."
"As expected, it's not that simple." Yang Chengde's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously sat up straight.
He wanted to see what clever tricks Li Chong had up his sleeve to seize power.
Li Chong smiled and glanced at the people in the hall. There weren't many people present, but they all had different thoughts and plans. Yanggu County was truly interesting.
He stood up and said, enunciating each word clearly, "If we're talking about the most important thing for Yanggu, it's undoubtedly that band of robbers from Dafeng Mountain. Today they dared to rob the county magistrate; who knows if they won't rob the summer taxes one day, or even raise a flag of rebellion?"
"Therefore, for the safety of the people of Yanggu, and to repay the Emperor's grace, I hereby order my men to march up the mountain and suppress the bandits!"
"Suppressing bandits?"
"Suppress the bandits!"
Several surprised and uncertain voices came from behind, clearly Li Chong's decision had taken everyone by surprise.
Among them, the registrar Zhu Binghe subconsciously lowered his head, his expression inscrutable.
He clearly has something on his mind.
But at this moment, Li Chong's attention was not on him.
Over there, County Lieutenant Fu Shun's face was full of surprise. He never expected that Li Chong and Yang Chengde, who were fighting each other openly and secretly, would suddenly turn against him.
The duties of a county constable are to be in charge of the security of the county, to apprehend thieves, and to patrol the territory.
Li Chong directly stated that he wanted to suppress the bandits, which was clearly aimed at him.
"Your Excellency," Fu Shun rose and clasped his hands in greeting, "how could the bandits of Dafeng Mountain have such audacity? To say they would dare to raise a flag of rebellion seems a bit of an exaggeration, doesn't it?"
Li Chong looked at him with a half-smile: "So, County Commandant Fu is planning to vouch for those people?"
Fu Shun shuddered and quickly shook his head: "Of course not! I am an official appointed by the imperial court, how could I vouch for bandits?"
"This is it!" Li Chong's expression changed, and he said with a stern face, "Does County Lieutenant Fu know that he is an official appointed by the imperial court? As far as this county knows, the bandits of Dafeng Mountain have been ravaging this area for more than just a day or two, and recently they have even dared to rob this county in broad daylight."
"If we don't eliminate such a vicious bandit, how can we face the court's appointment? How can we face the people of Yanggu? Therefore, this bandit is determined to be wiped out!"
At this moment, Yang Chengde also realized what was going on.
Although it's unclear why Li Chong made trouble for Fu Shun, Fu Shun had always been very respectful to Li Chong.
But at this point, it obviously didn't stop him from kicking someone when they were down.
If Li Chong were to fight Fu Shun, wouldn't he be the one to call the shots in Yanggu County?
Yang Chengde said with a smile, "County Commandant Fu, that's not right of you. Patrolling and apprehending thieves is your duty. Now the county magistrate hasn't punished you for lax governance, but instead wants to help you quell the bandits. You should thank him quickly."
Upon hearing this, Fu Shun glared angrily at Yang Chengde but ignored him.
He continued to argue with a disgruntled expression: "Your Excellency, I have tried to suppress the bandits of Dafeng Mountain several times, but every time I summon archers to enter the mountain, they avoid battle and are really difficult to wipe out."
"So difficult to wipe them out? That's because you're not putting in the effort." Li Chong waved his hand. "Today, this county magistrate here declares that he will definitely wipe out this gang of thieves and restore a clear sky to Yanggu!"
Then, Li Chong looked at Yang Chengde and asked, "Registration Officer Yang, what do you think? Are you willing to help me suppress the bandits?"
Yang Chengde, always eager for a good show, figured that since the bandit suppression wouldn't require his own men, at most he'd just handle some logistical work, he was happy to add fuel to the fire.
He immediately replied righteously and firmly, "Since Your Excellency has this intention, how can I not comply? I believe that everyone in Yanggu will agree with Your Excellency's words. Don't you all agree?"
Yang Chengde gave a wink, and his subordinates naturally chimed in, creating a lively scene.
Fu Shun's face grew increasingly grim. He suddenly turned around and glanced at the crowd below, who immediately fell silent.
He then said to Li Chong, "It is the magistrate's duty to suppress the bandits, but there is one problem: our county is short of archers, and we are somewhat outnumbered compared to the bandits. Moreover, if we are to send people to fight, we must pay them some resettlement fees. I wonder if the magistrate has any money to recruit local militia?"
Fu Shun's rebuttal was reasonable. He concluded that Li Chong could not come up with the money, and if public funds were to be used, how could Yang Chengde agree?
He wanted to see how Li Chong would respond.
Little did he know that his words were exactly what Li Chong wanted to hear.