Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 247 Incompetent officials bring ruin to the people.

As it turned out, Zhang Dai's choice was correct. As they entered Bianzhou, they encountered government officials and soldiers blocking their way and setting up checkpoints every so often. Even though they had chosen not to pay taxes before, their journey would not be smooth sailing from then on.

However, this correct choice was probably only temporary. Zhang Dai roughly understood Yuan Fu's idea, which was to strengthen commercial exploitation in order to make up for the rent and tax losses caused by the disaster.

With such a purpose, even if there is no political conflict between the two sides, Zhang Dai's shipment of large amounts of money, silk, and goods into the country under the guise of relief would likely arouse Yuan Fu's covetousness, and he probably wouldn't let it go easily.

Because of the different policies they implement, Zhengzhou and Bianzhou, although adjacent cities, have completely different social atmospheres. Bianzhou not only strictly supervises passing travelers, but also rigorously monitors its own residents.

As Zhang Dai and his entourage traveled through the territory, they were repeatedly checked at the stops where the caravan passed, and even the porters and boatmen in the caravan were required to provide proof of identity. Once it was confirmed that they were wandering, unemployed people from Bianzhou, they would be arrested immediately, and those who were hiding them would be severely punished.

Yuwen Rong rose to power through household registration, and Yuan Fu, as the son of his benefactor Yuan Qianyao, naturally shared the same political views. Therefore, after entering the country, Yuan Fu paid special attention to the management of household registration.

In the aftermath of a major disaster, it is inevitable that some residents will flee, which is why the state government is now cracking down on this phenomenon.

Bianzhou was located at a major thoroughfare with convenient water and land transportation. In order to prevent people from fleeing and wandering, it was necessary to set up checkpoints on the roads and at the border crossings, which further intensified the tense atmosphere in Bianzhou.

Fortunately, apart from the servants of the Zhang family, the porters in Zhang Dai's group were all hired in Luoyang through the Dutingyi network, and each had clear and identifiable identification, so no trouble arose as a result.

To avoid being stopped at checkpoints along the way, the convoy did not arrive in Bianzhou City until the afternoon of the following day.

It is worth mentioning that because they stopped for one night along the way, and the state government did not allow large caravans to stay in private inns, they had to stay in the official inns and hotels. Therefore, they were charged more than 600 guan for the night.

Meanwhile, nearly a hundred strings of cash were confiscated from the boats moored in the Bian Canal, because even if they did not travel at night, they still occupied part of the waterway and affected the navigation capacity of the Bian Canal.

If we follow this fee structure, the expenses incurred by their team within Bianzhou alone would probably amount to several thousand strings of cash!
Zhang Dai's group, including money and goods, had less than 100,000 strings of cash. In just a few days traveling through Bianzhou, they were stripped of one-tenth of that amount – the tax rate was indeed exorbitant. The source of this series of policies had already demonstrated its ability to exploit, no wonder other merchants dared not enter the prefecture.

To be honest, if Zhang Dai's purpose in this trip was to do business and make a profit, then this tax rate is not considered high.

According to Wang Yuanbao, Yuan Fu's implementation of these policies had severely impacted Bianzhou's commerce, leading to widespread economic depression and soaring prices. If the goods transported by the caravans were to enter the market now, each category could yield at least a 50% to 100% profit!

Of course, the transaction tax for buying and selling in the market will also increase accordingly, with some commodities even having a transaction tax of 100 coins.

Fortunately, after arriving in Bianzhou, people and goods no longer needed to stay in the official inns and warehouses. Wang Yuanbao, who had been traveling between the east and west for many years, also owned a considerable number of inns and warehouses in Bianzhou, so people and goods could be temporarily stored in his inns and warehouses.

"Many wealthy merchants in Bianzhou have heard of your talent and know that you are about to enter the country. They have all sent invitations to Wang Er to arrange an introduction. I wonder if you would be willing to meet me?"

After leading the group into his residence and settling them in temporarily, Wang Yuanbao then approached them with a smile and asked for their instructions.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Dai nodded and said, "Alright, you can make the arrangements. But I need to visit Prefect Yuan in the prefectural capital first."

He himself did not have any prejudice against merchants. In fact, he felt that merchants promoted the circulation of wealth and resources and were a more progressive and active social force than the bureaucrats and landlords.

Especially in the Tang Empire, the circulation of resources dominated by the government was often a one-sided exploitation and extortion. The government levied taxes and other means to collect wealth from the people, while the cross-regional movement of merchants provided opportunities for equal and mutually beneficial exchanges among the people.

Therefore, Zhang Dai did not reject communicating with merchants, especially since Bianzhou itself was a metropolis that prospered because of exchanges, and the merchants had more influence than those in other regions.

As for his eagerness to go to the prefectural capital to see Governor Yuan Fu, it wasn't just to collect the taxes he had previously paid; more importantly, he wanted to see what Yuan Fu's attitude was towards him and the business he was running.

Wang Yuanbao's inn was located on the outskirts of Bianzhou. After the caravan settled in, Zhang Dai, along with several attendants and the state official who had accompanied them from the state border, headed into the city.

Just as they left the inn, a ragged figure suddenly rushed out of the weeds on the left side of the road, kowtowing repeatedly and pleading, "Young master, please wait! Young master, please wait! You have the heart of a bodhisattva and are destined for great fortune. We beg you to bestow your kindness and relieve our suffering..."

It turned out to be a beggar.

Zhang Dai stopped his horse and raised his hand to Ding Qing, instructing, "Give him a few dozen coins!"

Ding Qing counted out a few dozen coins from his pocket and was about to bend down from his horse to hand them to the man when suddenly more than a dozen figures emerged from outside the road. Men, women, and children, all with pale faces, kowtowed and begged, "Please, young master, have mercy! Please..." Seeing so many beggars suddenly appear, Zhang Dai couldn't help but glance at the prefectural official in the group. The official's face also showed shame and anger. He spurred his horse forward and raised his whip, ready to strike: "Where are you unruly people from? How dare you leave your hometown and cause such a disturbance!"

"Stop him!"

Zhang Dai gave an order to An Xiaochen, then rode his horse toward a haggard woman by the roadside and said in a deep voice, "There are charitable weaving workshops in the prefecture that specifically recruit women and children for relief. Why don't you go there instead of wandering around begging?"

“Young master, you are joking. There is no such place in the world as a kind place... Please, young master, take this slave in. I only need five bushels of grain, no, three bushels. Even if I give him nothing, just give him a way to live and keep him as a slave. I will be grateful for your great kindness!”

As the woman kowtowed, she pushed a child with swollen cheeks and thin limbs toward Zhang Dai's horse. The child seemed to have been poisoned by some wild grass and was not quite conscious, only grimacing and howling.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai frowned even more deeply. The people of Zhengzhou knew about the Yizao Weaving Workshop, but judging from what this woman from Bianzhou said, she seemed to know nothing about the workshop, let alone have any concept of seeking refuge and help from it.

"Why have you come to this? Even if you have no knowledge of the weaving workshop, has the prefecture not provided any relief or assistance?"

Seeing how pitiful and miserable these people were, he immediately asked another question.

As they traveled, Bianzhou, though somewhat desolate compared to Zhengzhou, did not present the scenes of a catastrophe or widespread famine. However, the people before them were all pitiful, and if they were not given relief, they might not survive.

"We are all from Yimen Township. Last year, a torrential rain caused flooding of the rivers and canals, destroying our fields and houses. Some of our fellow villagers drowned, and the authorities later determined that they were registered residents who had fled. Our village has a mutual guarantee system, and each household is not only required to pay taxes on our behalf, but we are also prohibited from using credit for grain or seeds. The authorities forbid us from leaving our villages and from entering the city..."

Among the beggars was an old man who seemed to be somewhat learned. He spoke quite logically and explained his predicament in just a few words.

It turns out that they were all newly registered households in the previous household registration process. To prevent them from fleeing again, the government had to be more strict in managing their household registration and ordered them to help each other. If any adult male fled again, all the families that had helped each other would be punished.

Last year, some people were in danger and went missing during the floods, but the government ruled that they had fled the scene. Not only did the government double the punishment, but it also cut off the relief that should have been given.

Although this is only their side of the story and its veracity is unknown, it is true that they were all ragged and pale, and the children were so hungry that they couldn't even lift their heads.

Zhang Dai was also unclear about the specific policies of the prefecture in managing its people, and worried that taking in these people rashly would cause trouble. So he instructed, "Go back to the inn and get a few bushels of grain. Steam and cook it here and distribute it to the people. Don't take them back. Just distribute it by the roadside. Also, send a doctor to examine this child."

After saying this, he didn't linger and headed straight into the city.

Although the city was not as bustling as Zhengzhou, it was well-governed, and the streets were still filled with carriages and pedestrians. After all, Bianzhou was a large city by the Bian Canal, and even though there were no merchants around, its foundation was still very solid, and it would not suddenly fall into ruin.

But beneath the surface of order, there was much bitterness. Before heading to the prefectural city, Zhang Dai made a detour to the southern market. Upon entering the market, he immediately saw a dozen or so men and women selling their wares with signs.

Many shops had empty counters, especially some salt and rice shops. Prices were clearly written outside the shop, but you couldn't buy a single grain of salt or rice at those prices.

"Incompetent officials bring ruin to the people!"

Zhang Dai had never dealt with Yuan Fu before, but everything he had experienced and seen since arriving in the prefecture had given him an extremely bad impression of this complete stranger.

In particular, he noticed that very few people in Bianzhou knew about the existence of the Yizao Weaving Workshop. Some people were so poor that they had to sell their wives and children in the market, but they did not know that there was such a place where they could seek help!

This only worsened Zhang Dai's mood, and after leaving the market, he headed straight for the prefectural capital.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was no rule that officials should not renovate their government offices. Some officials even regarded the renovation and construction of their government offices as one of their political achievements. Bianzhou, as one of the most important prefectures, was located at the throat of the Grand Canal, so its government office was also built in a magnificent manner.

When Zhang Dai arrived, it was already evening, and the officials in the prefectural government had left their offices and gone home. Suddenly, someone on the road shouted, "Young Master Zhang, Zhang Luonu, no, it's Zhang Dai, Zhang Lang!"

Zhang Dai hadn't heard this name in a long time, and was taken aback when he first heard it. But when he looked in the direction of the voice, he saw that the person was Liu Sihu from Bianzhou, the customer Xu Shen had introduced to buy an epitaph last year.

(End of this chapter)