Human Martial Venerable: Starting from the Synthesis Technique

Chapter 109 Taxation

At midday, two horses rode into the city.

As soon as he entered the outer city, Feng Xiu immediately sensed something was wrong.

There were far fewer pedestrians, ordinary people, and refugees on this main street than usual.

At the entrance of each of the shops stood a group of men in gray robes, along with shopkeepers who looked reluctant.

Among the crowd of people in gray, one was carrying a wooden box.

A man in gray took the cloth bag handed to him by the shopkeeper and poured everything into the box.

The silver coins clattered against the wooden bottom of the box.

The group of men in gray worked swiftly, one collecting money and the other keeping accounts.

At first glance, they did not resemble government officials at all.

Feng Xiu reined in his horse and his gaze fell on another group of men in gray.

The leader was dressed in black embroidered robes with silver patterns on the lapels, and wore a long sword at his waist.

He was standing in front of a grain shop, talking to the owner.

"Are these people from the Embroidery Bureau?" Zhou Xiao asked in a low voice.

Feng Xiu frowned.

Along the way, he mentioned the Embroidered Robe Bureau to Zhou Xiao; it was a powerful organization that monitored the martial arts world.

But I've never heard of tax collection being under the jurisdiction of the Embroidered Robe Bureau.

"Sir, wasn't this month's commercial tax just paid last month?"

The grain shop owner's voice was bitter, with a hint of pleading.

The man in black remained expressionless and spoke in a calm tone, "This is a reserve fund, earmarked for defending against the monsters of the Black Abyss. Every household must contribute, not just you."

"But... but this is too much..."

The shopkeeper hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but was met with a glance from the man in black.

The words caught in his throat, and he dared not say more.

Trembling, he handed over the silver pouch, which was taken by the gray-clad man behind the man in black.

He opened and counted the items, pressed his fingerprint on the receipt, tore off a copy, and handed it to the shopkeeper.

Feng Xiu's gaze sharpened as he looked at the various shops.

On the wooden box being held by the man in gray, three large characters were written in bold ink: "Tax Collection".

After looking away, she exchanged a glance with Zhou Xiao.

They both saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.

"Requisition reserve funds." Zhou Xiao repeated, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

Feng Xiu pondered for a moment, and the two spurred their horses to continue forward.

As a large-scale grain grower, he was naturally familiar with the tax system of Daliang.

The agricultural tax was 1/30, the commercial tax was 1/20, plus an annual corvée labor tax, all of which were fixed amounts.

Agricultural taxes were collected by the Grain Commissioner's Office of each prefecture, while commercial taxes were handled by the Tax Bureau under the Ministry of Revenue.

Each had its own government office, but the Embroidered Robe Bureau suddenly got involved, creating a tax collection scheme with a seemingly respectable name.

But this role is too far-fetched.

Even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard was preparing for the Eastern Army's war effort, they shouldn't be the ones to handle such matters.

Can Cao Heng tolerate this?

They traveled for a while longer.

In the city, the number of black-embroidered messengers had also increased significantly.

Feng Xiu observed that the black-embroidered envoys wore uniform attire.

They wore black robes with silver patterns, had swords at their waists, and exuded a deep and composed aura, most of them being at the peak of Body Refinement.

A few have already reached the threshold of burning blood, and many of them are clearly local martial artists.

Feng Xiu did not go directly to the inner city, but instead turned around and went to the notice board in the outer city.

A crowd had gathered in front of the notice board, which displayed numerous government orders, except for the recent military exercises.

A large golden sheet of paper was prominently displayed, with a bright red seal stamped below it.

The two dismounted and squeezed inside for a quick look.

"Imperial Decree: Demons from the Black Abyss are frequently appearing, causing chaos among the people. The Embroidered Robe Bureau is ordered to expand its ranks and recruit heroes from all over the world to fight against the demons. Anyone with high martial arts skills and good character can apply. After passing the examination, they will be admitted to the bureau, given the position of Gray Embroidered Robe, enjoy the salary of the imperial court, and be provided with martial arts supplies and pills. Those who are willing should apply at the Green Rock Branch of the Embroidered Robe Bureau within three days."

Zhou Xiao read it out word by word.

Those around him listened and all showed signs of interest.

"That's a good thing!"

"It's a pity I never practiced martial arts, otherwise I would have left long ago," a man in a blue cloth robe said regretfully.

"You? You should just give up," one person sneered.

The expansion of enrollment is not surprising; the Demon God Palace in Qingzhou is causing a huge disturbance, and the Embroidered Robe Bureau is short-handed.

It's reasonable to recruit people from the martial arts world to join the Gray Embroidery and Black Embroidery factions.

As Feng Xiu was thinking, Zhou Xiao pointed to a line of small print below the notice board: "And this, all merchants and farmers within Yunzhou must pay a pre-collection tax to replenish their funds. The tax rate is 30% for commercial tax and 30% for agricultural tax, and it will be collected in advance for three years."

Feng Xiu also looked at it carefully.

"What exactly are they trying to do?"

Feng Xiu frowned. "Taxing for three years in advance? This isn't collecting taxes, this is fucking blood!"

Merchants and farmers can manage by paying 30% annually, but they can pay it all together over three years.

Small businesses going bankrupt directly—what's the difference between that and forcing farmers to sell their children?

Feng Xiu took a deep breath. "Let's go back to the manor."

Immediately, the two turned their horses around.

The Feng family mansion.

At this moment, a row of luxurious carriages was parked in front of the mansion.

The line stretched from the gate of the mansion all the way to the alley entrance, completely blocking the street.

As soon as Feng Xiu dismounted, he saw a large number of grain merchants filing out of the mansion.

Leading the group was Zhou Mingde, followed by a group of familiar faces including Zhao Mingyuan, Wang Boyong, and Liu Wenyuan.

"Young Master Feng!"

Zhou Mingde's eyes lit up, and he took a few steps forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "You're finally back."

After dismounting, Feng Xiu handed the reins to the servant who had come to attend to him.

He glanced at everyone and saw that they all looked worried, so he already guessed what was going on.

After Zhou Xiao left, he asked again.

"What happened?"

Zhou Mingde gave a wry smile.

"Three days ago, Chief Guo led his men into the city to collect three years' worth of reserve funds from us, including commercial tax, agricultural tax, mining tax, and corvée tax, all four of them."

"Master Guo?"

"Guo Zhen, the leader of the Qingyan branch of the Embroidered Robe Division," Zhao Mingyuan added from the side, his face ashen.

"On the day he entered the city, he visited every shop and farm."

Feng Xiu didn't rush to reply.

The Embroidered Robe Bureau collects money, and the Eastern Army requisitions grain; both are draining Qingyan City dry.

But there's only so much blood available. If two families draw blood at the same time, one of them will eventually run out.

"What about Cao Heng?" Feng Xiu asked. "What did Cao Heng say?"

Wang Boyong shook his head. "Chief Cao has been looking for you these past few days, saying he wants to discuss something important."

Feng Zheng was about to ask another question when Zheng Bo hurriedly came out of the mansion.

"Young Master, the Patriarch summons you."

Feng Xiu cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd, "Please go back first. Let me think about this matter."

Everyone knew this wasn't the place to talk, so they all bowed and took their leave.

Inside the council chamber.

Feng Ao sat in the main seat, his expression solemn.

Zhou Gang sat to his left, holding a teacup in his hand.

Feng Shouzhou stood to the side, his expression also not very good.

Han Che crossed his arms, expressionless, while Zhou Xiao sat on his left.

When Feng Xiu entered, her gaze lingered on him for a moment.

"Father."

Zheng Bo poured tea for Feng Xiu, and Feng Xiu sat down.

"You've heard about what happened?" Feng Ao asked directly.

Feng Xiu nodded.

"What is the Embroidered Uniform Guard trying to do by collecting three years' worth of reserve funds in advance?"

"It's not just about levying reserve funds." Feng Ao shook his head slightly. "These past few days, while I've been in charge of the alliance, I originally intended to take advantage of your absence to have each family send their younger generation to learn martial arts, so that we can better deal with the situation."

Originally, the families were reluctant, complaining that martial arts training was too hard and that martial artists were too uncouth. But now, with the tax bill posted, they're all coming to their door, begging to let their children learn martial arts.

Zhou Gang scoffed, "This is what happens when you've never been beaten and don't know the pain. You've been used to peaceful days and thought the sky wouldn't fall. Now that a knife is at your throat, you're starting to panic."

"What's going on with the cavalry?" Feng Xiu's mind raced.

"Cao Heng is also anxious." Feng Ao's tone softened slightly. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard collects taxes and reserves from his Eastern Army's grain supplies, military rations..."

"All the tax revenue is taken by the Embroidered Uniform Guard; what will the Eastern Army eat?"

"My dear son-in-law, Cao Heng has been searching everywhere these past few days, trying to win us over."

Zhou Gang put down his teacup, looked at Feng Xiu, and his expression became unusually serious.

Feng Xiu remained silent.

Taxes can be levied; it's unavoidable.

Judging from this situation alone, the Embroidered Robe Bureau and the Eastern Army are completely at odds.

"Big brother, do we need to choose sides?" Feng Shouzhu asked hesitantly.

During the few days that Feng Xiu was away, he also attended several meetings with Zhou Gang.

Naturally, they are aware of the stakes involved.

At this moment, everyone in the hall turned their attention to Feng Xiu.

Zhou Xiao sat in the corner, her fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of her sword.

Feng Xiu picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then calmly asked, "The Embroidered Robe Division has a branch only in Qingyan City in Yunzhou?"

Feng Ao shook his head. "Not only that, but Guangtong, Yongning, and other prefectures all have them. This time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has made a big fuss, and there are many people responding."

The Zhuguang Chamber of Commerce has been distributing military funds in Yunzhou for more than half a year.

The entire martial arts world of Yunzhou owes a debt of gratitude to the Embroidered Robe Division.

When the Embroidered Robe Bureau raised its arm to call out, a large number of people responded.

"The issue of taking sides hasn't reached that point yet."

Feng Xiu put down his teacup; the sound was soft, yet steady and resonant.

"With the situation unclear, taking sides rashly could lead to utter ruin."

The example of the Fan family is still fresh in our minds; it seems they have latched onto the coattails of the Eastern Army.

But the Eastern Army could never stay permanently.

Especially in decision-making, we must be extremely cautious.

Of course, there is still room for experimentation and error in the reformation process; the current grain merchant alliance is not the disorganized mess it was before.

"I'll take responsibility for this."

Immediately, Feng Xiu stood up and said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ao's solemn expression eased somewhat.

Zhou Gang laughed too: "I knew it! I trust my son-in-law to get things done."

As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently glanced at Zhou Xiao.

Seeing her daughter's beautiful eyes fixed on Feng Xiu, unable to look away, her smile deepened.

At this moment, Zheng Bo stepped forward.

Chao Fengxiu cupped his hands in greeting. "Young Master, the Patriarch and Chief Escort Zhou have a shipment to transport to Jinzhou. They have already reached an agreement with the Chu family."

"This batch of goods consists of martial arts resources unique to Yunzhou, which are extremely precious. We were supposed to set off three days ago, but the patriarch said he would wait for you to return so he could make a decision."

Feng Xiu looked at Feng Ao, and Feng Ao nodded.

"The situation in Yunzhou is complicated. We can't put all our eggs in one basket. I've already found a place in Jinzhou so that I'll have a way out if something really happens here."

Feng Xiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I have no objection. When are you leaving?"

"The sooner the better," Feng Ao said. "The goods are ready and waiting to be shipped."

Feng Xiu thought for a moment, then looked at Zhou Gang, "Uncle Zhou, why don't you come along too? Jinzhou is a place where we don't know anyone. With you there, Father will have someone to look after him."

Zhou Gang was stunned for a moment, then steadied himself and said, "I think I'll stay. It might keep some of these demons and monsters in check."