The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 246 Nonviolent Non-cooperation
After discussing the matter, Jiang Han and Zhao Sheng immediately split up and took action.

Zhao Sheng led several survey teams composed of military officers, clerks, and peasant representatives to various towns and villages under the jurisdiction of Baoning Prefecture to fulfill the promise of equal land distribution and tax exemption.

Jiang Han, on the other hand, had to deal with some business issues first.

Baoning Prefecture was a bustling commercial center in northern Sichuan, with a constant stream of merchants traveling between the rice warehouses and the lychee road.

During Jiang Han's siege of the city, many merchant groups from Guanzhong and Hanzhong were trapped inside the city and unable to move.

Seeing the city fall, the merchants thought they were about to die.

After all, according to the custom in the Shaanxi area, whenever bandits entered a city, they would definitely plunder and loot a lot of property.

These wealthy out-of-town merchants were the perfect targets.

To their utter surprise, instead of the bandits' blades, they were met with a gold-embossed invitation bearing Jiang Han's official seal in Baoning Prefecture, saying that there was something important to discuss.

The merchants were completely bewildered by the invitations, wondering what the thieves were up to, but they dared not be negligent, as their lives were in the hands of these thieves.

A few days later, a dozen or so merchants from Guanzhong, Hanzhong, and Baoning Prefecture arrived as scheduled.

Inside the main hall of the government office, a group of people sat upright, looking very reserved, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Seeing this, Jiang Han, who was at the head of the table, didn't waste any words and went straight to the point:

"Gentlemen, please don't be nervous. I've invited you all here today for no other reason than to inform you of two things."

"Although Baoning Prefecture has changed hands, everyone's business is still going smoothly."

"Under my rule, any law-abiding merchant, regardless of who they are, will have their life and property protected by my army."

"But correspondingly, all business activities must also follow the new rules I have set."

Jiang Han abruptly changed the subject, dropping a bombshell.

"The first thing is commercial tax."

"Starting tomorrow, all large-scale commercial transactions within the territory of Baoning Prefecture will be subject to a tax rate of one-fifteenth of the total tax."

These words caused an uproar in the hall.

"what?"

"One-fifteenth of the tax?!"

An older Qin merchant stood up shakily, his face contorted with grief:
"General, isn't this tax rate a bit too high?"

“In the past, under the rule of the imperial court, the commercial tax was only one-thirtieth.”

"At present, war is raging in various parts of Shaanxi and Hanzhong. Bandits are attacking cities and seizing territories everywhere, and there is chaos and turmoil everywhere."

“Our life as merchants is already difficult. On the road, we not only have to deal with the exploitation of government troops, but also have to guard against the plundering of bandits. The cost is already frighteningly high.”

"I was hoping to earn some hard-earned money in Baoning Prefecture so I could go back and support my family."

"But with your word today, the commercial tax is going to be raised to one-fifteenth of the original amount. We...we really have no profit left!"

Upon hearing this, the merchants all began to plead for mercy.

"Yes, Commander! Please, have mercy!"

"We're just small businesses, how can we afford to pay so much tax?"

Jiang Han snorted coldly upon seeing this.
"Small business?"

"You all traveled all the way from Shaanxi, crossing mountains and valleys, to Baoning Prefecture to do business. Is this really a small-scale business?"

"I came all the way from Shaanxi, how could I not know your background?"

“Behind each of them stood either high-ranking officials and nobles from Xi’an Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture, or princes and nobles from those two places.”

"I see that after all these years of doing business, you probably haven't paid a single penny of commercial tax, let alone bribed the government troops."

"I'll say it again: the tax rate for bulk transactions is 1/15 of the total, and that cannot be changed."

Seeing that Jiang Han had made up his mind, the group of merchants below looked ashen-faced.

"Of course, I didn't come here today with only bad news."

"Someone, bring out the glass vase so that the shopkeepers can admire it."

Upon hearing Jiang Han's words, the previously listless businessmen instantly perked up their ears.

What is that? A glass vase?

Soon, a guard carefully carried an object wrapped in red cloth and came up.

A group of people craned their necks, widened their eyes, and stared intently at the object in the guard's hand.

Jiang Han stepped forward personally and slowly unveiled the red cloth.

A crystal-clear glass vase, its color as green as jade, sat quietly on the table in front of me.

Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.

Everyone here knows their stuff; they frequent the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles, so they naturally recognize that this is glass that is worth as much as gold.

"Gentlemen, you should all be familiar with glass ornaments."

Jiang Han spoke slowly, his voice full of allure.

"But how many large items like vases have you all seen?"

"To be honest, this is a new product from the Iron and Steel Works Department under my command, which took several months to produce."

"I imagine your respective owners will be quite satisfied with this when you take it back, right?"

These kinds of glass artifacts were taught to Chai Yu by Jiang Han when he was working on relics at the Iron Smelting Company.

It took several months of trial and error by a group of craftsmen to finally master the technique.

However, the Iron and Steel Bureau is still in Long'an Prefecture and has not yet moved here.

Jiang Han only has this one sample at the moment.

"Although commercial taxes have increased, my Baoning Prefecture has mastered the production technology for these large glass items."

“If you are sincere in cooperating with me, Baoning Prefecture can not only provide various kinds of silk fabrics, but also such valuable glass vases.”

He looked at the group of breathless businessmen before him and smiled.
"Not a single penny less in taxes."

"But as long as you pay your taxes on time, I will continue to provide you with these glass ornaments."

"What should we do? You should all go back and think about it."

The next steps are self-explanatory; all the businessmen rushed to sign contracts with Jiang Han.

The goods included raw silk, silk fabrics, cloth, salt, vinegar, and more. In fact, even if Jiang Han hadn't brought out the glass vase, the merchants would have eventually signed a deal with him anyway.

Rebellions are breaking out in various parts of Shaanxi and Hanzhong, while neighboring Shanxi and Henan are in complete chaos.

Apart from Sichuan, which remained relatively calm, production activities in other prefectures and counties had long since ceased. With nowhere else to go, these merchants had no choice but to head to Sichuan.

After seeing the group of merchants off, Jiang Han rushed to the backyard without stopping.

Next, he had an even more important meeting to attend to.

Jiang Han is about to have a formal negotiation with several prominent families in Baoning Prefecture.

He wanted to first see what the attitude of the local prominent families was, and whether he could recruit some talent from them.

It's best to avoid violence if possible; it's better to be courteous first and then resort to force.

Just then, Li Liyuan, the newly appointed head of the Grain Tax Bureau, also arrived at the government office.

Recently, he and his men have thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of several prominent families in Baoning Prefecture, including those who had passed the imperial examinations and were recognized as successful candidates in the provincial and metropolitan examinations.

Upon seeing Jiang Han, Li Liyuan immediately pulled out a thick file:

"General, all the gentry and noble families with official titles in Baoning Prefecture are basically here."

He pointed to the file and began to explain it to Jiang Han in detail.

There are three main families of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

"Firstly, there is the Yang family in Nanbu County."

"There is a man in the family named Yang Fangzao, who was a Juren in the 43rd year of the Wanli reign and a Jinshi in the 4th year of the Chongzhen reign. Currently, he is serving as the Prefect of Xinghua Prefecture in Fujian."

"Secondly, there is the Liang family of Jianzhou."

"There is a Liang Zhidong in the family. He was a Jinshi in the 41st year of the Wanli reign (1683) and is currently serving as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He has a very high reputation in the clan."

"There are also the Xiang family of Tongjiang County, the Li family of Bazhou, the Chen family and the Yue family of Nanjiang, etc."

“These families all have relatives who have passed the imperial examinations and become officials, and many of them are serving as officials in other places.”

Jiang Han nodded after hearing this:

"Those who are serving as officials in other places need not be concerned for the time being."

"I'm just asking you, how much land do these people own now?"

Li Liyuan immediately replied:
"Reporting to the commander, I have already led my team to visit them one by one."

“Our previous large-scale crackdown on corrupt officials in various places has clearly frightened these local powerful families.”

"I heard that you, General, are going to liquidate the land under their names. These people are quite sensible and have all nodded in agreement."

"only……"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han immediately pressed for an answer:

"Just what?"

Li Liyuan looked troubled.
"Although these people handed over their surplus land, when I proposed that each of their families send some literate members to join my army..."

"But they all started making excuses."

“The children in each family were either away studying and had not returned, or they were weak and sickly and could not be driven.”

"They were all very polite on the surface, but they were adamant that they would not send anyone to join us."

Jiang Han frowned upon hearing this. He was about to say something when his personal guards burst in.
"General, representatives from several prominent families in Baoning Prefecture have all arrived."

"They are waiting in the lobby now."

Jiang Han nodded, about to take Li Liyuan to meet these local bullies.

But the guard stood there, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to.

"What else?"

Jiang Han asked.

A complex expression appeared on the guard's face:

"General, you'll see for yourself."

A sense of doubt arose in Jiang Han's heart. He hurriedly led Li Liyuan to the reception hall.

He was stunned when he stepped into the hall.

Inside the spacious hall, there were twenty or thirty people sitting in large groups.

But when he looked around, he saw that all the people who came were old men with gray hair and wrinkled faces.

Judging by their appearance, they must be at least sixty or seventy years old!

Jiang Han looked on with a puzzled expression.

He summoned representatives from various prominent families in Baoning Prefecture to discuss matters, but all that came were old people who were about to die.
He suppressed his anger, stepped forward, and bowed to the elderly man at the head of the group.

"May I ask who you are, sir?"

The old man stood up shakily, slowly bowed to Jiang Han, and said weakly:
"I am Liang Tingsi, the father of Liang Zhidong, the current Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. I have met you, General."

"Today, upon hearing that the Commander-in-Chief has summoned us, we dare not refuse to come."

"However, none of my nephews and nieces are fortunate enough to be alive; some have caught a cold and are bedridden, while others have already gone off to study and are nowhere to be found."

"There was no other way but for us old folks who can't walk anymore to come in our place."

These words were perfectly reasonable and watertight.

Looking at the group of elderly people in front of him, who seemed as if they would fall over with a gust of wind, Jiang Han instantly understood.

This is a case of nonviolent noncooperation.

Before they even arrived, every household in Baoning Prefecture had already discussed it and made up their minds:
If you want land, we'll give it to you; after all, you can't just run away from that land.

But it's absolutely impossible for us to send people to work for you, a traitor!
So they brought out all the elderly people in the family who had long since stopped taking care of things, just to appease Jiang Han.

Those who are truly young, energetic, and capable of taking charge either feign illness or have long since fled.

Yes, you thieves have knives, so we dare not resist.

But I can choose not to do things for you.

Even if you're completely unreasonable, you can't force us old folks who're almost in our graves to come out and become your officials, can you?
(End of this chapter)