Joy of Life: I am a Han Dynasty succubus, and I rebel from the beginning

Chapter 274, The encounter of the craftsmen of the Hanging Temple: Sir, after you left, everyone bullied us!
"Lord Governor!"

"Your Majesty the Governor..."

The craftsmen and farmers of the Hanging Temple spontaneously brought rice soup and rushed towards Liu Hong, their eyes moistened.

The warriors who were once terrifying are now no threat at all.

Because these craftsmen believed that the governor would not order the soldiers to drive them away.

Even if these people didn't know, Liu Hong had long since risen from the Governor-General of Kyoto to the Grand Commander of Andong.

Fan Dabing was at a loss as to what to do, not knowing whether to have his guards form a defensive formation to stop the peasants, or to let them in.

What should we do if blocking the farmers will discourage the people?
If we let them in, what if there are assassins among them?
Just when Fan Dabing was in a dilemma, Liu Hong simply jumped off his horse and walked towards the crowd that was rushing in.

Come on, no more hesitation.

Fan Dare shouted immediately.

"Guards, lay down your weapons, these civilians are not the enemy."

Liu Hong reached out his hand to support the slightly older craftsman.

These villages, where craftsmen have turned into farmers, are generally young and have basically no elderly people.

Because the older craftsmen had already died in the abyss of the Hanging Temple.

Cui Er, the old farmer who first discovered Liu Hong, rubbed his hands excitedly and stood beside Liu Hong, unable to find words.

After Liu Hong sat on a big rock in the field, he looked at the village with a flag with the surname Li hanging on it, and his eyes became deeper.

"Brother Cui, what does this flag mean?"

Liu Hong pointed at the Li flag, seeming a little puzzled.

When dealing with the people of Xuankong Temple, he used his privileges as governor to exempt them from taxes for one year and to tax them at one tenth for three years.

Logically speaking, these craftsmen should not have to rely on the royal family.

Cui Er's excited face dimmed and he spoke hesitantly.

"Sir, it's nothing. We are just subjects of His Royal Highness the Second Prince."

Liu Hong was not angry because the craftsman he had saved became someone else's subject.
These are power struggles among the upper echelons. What can the common people do?

"I see that this village is mostly made up of thatched houses that can't keep out the wind and rain. How have you been doing this past year?"

This is what Liu Hong is most concerned about.
I took a sip of the local specialty rice soup. It was a bit sour and bitter, but it was quite useful for relieving the heat.

Cui Er's eyes became even dimmer.

"My Lord, be merciful. We can still survive."

"Damn you, Cui Er! You don't have the courage, but I do! At worst, I'll tell you."

A strong man suddenly rushed out of the crowd, and seeing Cui Er's timid look, he almost killed him.

The only adult who cares about the people is here. Should we continue to tolerate it?

Liu Hong looked at the sturdy man. He had a strong build, but his movements were somewhat inconvenient. He almost walked with his left leg dragging his right leg.

"Mr. Pei! I am Wang Dabao, the soldier of the city defense army who was injured when you massacred the noble families in Kyoto! I received your reward and was allocated 30 acres of land."

Wang Dabao knelt on the ground, his voice sonorous and powerful, with the decisiveness unique to the military.

"Then tell me everything that happened to the craftsmen of the Hanging Temple after I left! I want to see how those evil spirits will appear once I leave!"

When Liu Hong saw Wang Dabao’s disabled right leg, his face darkened.

This was definitely not an injury from marching or fighting. It was more like he had encountered some kind of huge force that broke his right leg.

Wang Dabao, a seven-foot-tall man, narrated everything that had happened over the past year.

The more you talk about it, the more shocking and chilling it becomes.

Not to mention Liu Hong's face that was so gloomy that it could drip water, even Fan Dabing held the sword tightly in his hand, wanting to kill the dignitaries far away in Kyoto.

The year that Liu Hong was in power in Kyoto was indeed the most comfortable year for the people of Kyoto.

Except for necessary corvee labor, most of the exorbitant taxes and levies were abolished.

Garrison divisions were also dispatched regularly to investigate villages to see if there were any officials who had created false pretenses, and those who disobeyed orders would be severely punished.

But after only one year, the heavy taxes and city gate taxes rose again. Originally, this kind of thing could basically survive, after all, under the emperor's feet, corrupt officials did not dare to do too much.

But the exception is the group of people in the Hanging Temple who turned from craftsmen to farmers.

These people had received favors from Liu Hong and were disliked by Emperor Qing.

The original one-year tax exemption and three-year ten-tax system became a mere formality and became the five-tax-one system unique to the Qing Kingdom.

It actually seems pretty good, it just adds an extra income for one generation.

But the bottom line of officials is far higher than most people think.

It is only the seventh year of the Qingli period, but the taxes collected are from the fiftieth year of the Qingli period. Moreover, the official celebrates his birthday today and marries a concubine tomorrow.

The miscellaneous taxes and gifts required from these craftsmen were quite a lot.

When the eunuchs from the East and West Factories saw such a big opportunity on the map of Kyoto, they were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.

They charge very low prices for vegetables, fruits and grains, which are barely one-fifth of the market price.

How could these Hanging Temple builders afford all these taxes? Not to mention storing food, even the money for building houses was completely looted.

As for the land, they were forced to sell it all.

Until the very end, when the craftsmen of the Hanging Temple were about to die, the big man behind the scenes finally revealed his true intentions.

The second prince took these people in as tenants and took the opportunity to hide his private army deep in these fields.

After listening to Wang Dabao's story, Liu Hong closed his eyes in pain.

Even though the person is dead, the regime is over, but he is not dead yet!
These aristocratic families felt that they would never be able to return to Kyoto in their lifetime, and with the Second Prince above them, they exploited the craftsmen of the Hanging Temple with impunity.

At the end of his speech, Wang Dabao knelt on the ground, crying and shouting like a child.

"Sir! If you had come a step later, we would have had to sell our lives. We really can't afford to pay the tax!"

This is a struggle between Liu Hong and the powerful people in Kyoto, but the ultimate victims are still the common people.

Paying two years' taxes in one month, even the Republic of China did not dare to do this.

Without Emperor Qing's tacit approval and the Second Prince's leadership, this group of aristocratic families would not be so unscrupulous.

Liu Hong felt a pain in his heart and his face turned pale again.

"Hehehe... they even said that I could swear an oath on the Yangtze River. If this is the case with the New Dynasty, then what use is there for me to have this dynasty!"

Encouraged by Wang Dabao, Cui Er knelt on the ground with trembling lips and almost cried out.

"Sir, we can only survive under your rule. Can you please not leave?"

These Hanging Temple craftsmen really don’t understand, they are also people of Qing Kingdom.

Why do these officials treat them like this, as if they were slaves and enemies!

When you become a craftsman, you are like a prisoner, spending your whole life under a dark cliff.

When he became a farmer, within just one year, without any natural disasters, he lost all his land, was penniless, and became a tenant.

If we encounter a natural disaster, there will be no other option but to rebel.

Of course in Kyoto, these 50,000 unarmed Hanging Temple craftsmen rebelled.

Even farmers, who are also ordinary people, will not support it because they just want to survive.

Even those powerful people hoped that the craftsmen of the Hanging Temple would rebel, so that they could get promotions and titles by suppressing the rebellion.

Liu Hong looked at the craftsmen with a pale face.

Perhaps it was because they were once like prisoners as craftsmen, perhaps it was due to their own reasons, or perhaps it was both.

These people have been abandoned!
When Fan Dabing saw Liu Hong's figure trembling constantly, he quickly winked at the farmers.

Could you please stop talking, gentlemen?
Wang Dabao knelt on the ground, kowtowed several times, and sobbed.

"Sir, after you left, everyone bullied us."

This sentence was like a fatal blow. Liu Hong could no longer control the two conflicting true energies in his body.

A mouthful of blood spurted onto the ground.

(End of this chapter)