Chapter 959 - Over-Fulfillment
The Grain Levy Bureau established branches in the county seat and major market towns to facilitate tax payment. The collection unit was Circulation Vouchers. Taxpayers could also pay in grain, gold, silver, copper cash, or other goods, with values converted to Vouchers at the current grain reference price. The Finance Supervisory Department had originally intended to ban silver and copper cash circulation throughout the outer counties as well, but Circulation Vouchers' standing beyond Lingao remained insufficiently established—for now, they could only accept multiple payment methods simultaneously.
To encourage major landowners to pay more grain while also bolstering support for Circulation Vouchers, Cheng Dong had instructed the Delong Grain Shop to raise grain procurement prices somewhat. This gave grain-paying households a modestly better exchange rate when converting to Vouchers—a small but meaningful advantage.
Under Liu Xiang's firm "guidance," collection work in Qiongshan advanced rapidly. Qiongshan, Wenchang, Ding'an, and Chengmai had been designated the four "priority counties" for summer tax collection. They received not only extra professional personnel but also maximum support in terms of military backing. Each county was guaranteed at least three infantry companies plus a local county security company. Officers were all instructed to fully obey the Elder serving as county chief and to do everything possible to assist with collection.
Qiongshan County stood at the very top of the priority list, and Liu Xiang intended to fully demonstrate his "governing capability" through this collection effort. He therefore maintained especially tight control over the entire operation. All county office work that wasn't essential was temporarily suspended, with personnel dispatched in different directions to assist with collection. Civilian laborers were recruited to repair granaries and level roads. Two hand-cranked straw-weaving machines were shipped from Lingao to manufacture the straw sacks used for grain storage. The Delong Qiongshan branch added more floor scales and personnel at its business department entrance to ensure all grain-paying households could sell their grain and complete their tax obligations with maximum speed.
The weather grew hotter by the day. Propaganda team members worked with tremendous enthusiasm, performing in streets and alleys daily, posting slogans, dancing lion dances, and publicizing the new tax law. Drums and gongs sounded constantly throughout the county seat—the noise was tremendous.
This atmosphere was deliberately manufactured to create a sense of urgency and collective momentum, pressing everyone to hurry up and pay their taxes.
No matter how unwilling the major landowners felt in their hearts, everyone recognized that the Australian summer tax had to be paid. When Hai Shuzu returned and told them that "Director Liu" was also planning to settle accounts on decades of tax arrears, they all decided it was better to obediently pay the Australian levy and stop invoking Ming dynasty history. If those old muddled accounts were truly reckoned up, even bankrupting their entire households wouldn't clear the accumulated debt.
A portion of the gentry remained deeply resentful about apportioning corvée into land and abolishing corvée exemptions for scholars and degree-holders. The recent land survey campaign had seriously damaged the interests of the few who possessed scholarly credentials, and they all realized that under Australian rule, the golden era of lording over the countryside was finished forever. Each harbored bitter resentment. For now, with gleaming bayonets visible everywhere on the streets—and Qiongshan being too remote and isolated to form any effective coalition—these people could only lie low with suppressed hatred, putting on the appearance of obedient, law-abiding citizens. Besides paying taxes according to regulations, some even proactively sent their children to study in Lingao as a demonstration of "sincerity."
Others coordinated privately, exchanging bitter remarks and grievances. There were also those who actually possessed little land but held a xiucai degree and moved in wealthy circles—pedants whose "exemptions" were canceled under the new regulations even though they would have owed no tax anyway. Still, the thought of their corvée exemption privilege being revoked left them feeling deeply humiliated. After all, the foremost benefit of a xiucai degree was grain and corvée exemption—beyond the economic advantage, it represented status. Without that privilege, they felt diminished as men. They too joined the gentry's grumbling. A few even went to offer sacrifice at Wanshou Temple on the first and fifteenth of each month, paying respects to the Great Ming's imperial ancestors to demonstrate they hadn't forgotten the fallen dynasty. Nursery rhymes like "Short-hairs don't live long; iron ships will never float" began circulating in the streets.
Lu Cheng dutifully reported such information to the Security Bureau while also briefing Liu Xiang, who remained unconcerned. What he cared about was grain. Besides, government institutions were gradually being established, local security posed no serious problems, and the army and security companies provided reliable backing. What great waves could these people possibly stir up?
"Don't worry—just keep watching them closely. Once I've squeezed them dry, we'll see what tricks they can play." Liu Xiang was full of confidence. "Besides, isn't there the county security company? Flash some bayonets and let's see who dares move out of line."
"The county security company is mostly composed of former military households, aside from officers and NCOs—they may not be entirely reliable." Lu Cheng followed the Political Security Bureau's "suspect everything" thinking model.
"We'll see. Army ideological education is Wei Aiwen's responsibility—I can't interfere." Though Liu Xiang had some fondness for Lu Cheng, he found her working style quite tiresome. He had too many tasks on his plate to spend all day "catching class struggle."
"Just keep watching them," he said. "Have you started on the assignment I gave you—monitoring the tax personnel?"
"It's already in progress," Lu Cheng reported. She hesitated. "Chief, we're short-handed. Watching the gentry and watching the tax personnel—we're a bit overwhelmed..."
Qiongshan County's political security surveillance network was the largest outside of Lingao proper. The "informants" inherited from the Foreign Intelligence Bureau alone numbered over twenty, but against seventy or eighty regular and temporary collection personnel, these resources proved inadequate.
"Pull back on the gentry side—the main force should focus on this tax collection work. There are too many new people involved—if we don't watch closely, problems can easily arise."
"But shouldn't the Cheka be handling this..."
"The Cheka handles account auditing—that doesn't conflict with your work." Liu Xiang waved his hand. "That's settled."
Summer tax collection in Qiongshan County proceeded with remarkable smoothness. Under the progressive system, households with less land faced relatively lighter burdens despite the disaster's toll and wouldn't be driven to extreme hardship. Households with more land bore heavier burdens but possessed savings from previous years to draw upon. Those with genuinely exceptional circumstances preventing payment, after proper verification, also received certain exemptions. The saying "taxation is an important lever for regulating the economy"—Liu Xiang now understood it at a visceral level.
Under Liu Xiang's full-throttle collection campaign, with only half the collection period elapsed, Qiongshan County had already achieved the equivalent of eighteen thousand taels of treasury silver. Final totals were expected to reach around thirty thousand taels. This revenue left Wu De "greatly pleased." When Liu Xiang came to report, Wu De kept vigorously patting his shoulder—nearly bruising it.
"It's nothing—just doing what I should. Serving the Senate, you know." Liu Xiang endured the pain shooting through his shoulder, silently reflecting that this old fisherman and naval man really did have too strong a grip. He struggled to maintain his smile and donned a modest expression.
"You're being too modest. Of the four priority counties in northern Hainan, Qiongshan was the first to complete targets ahead of schedule—and exceed them." Wu De gestured for him to sit on the rattan sofa chair. "At the last meeting, I told Old Ma: whether the leadership team is tough or not makes all the difference!"
Liu Xiang laughed dryly. It sounded as though the Executive Committee was dissatisfied with the county office directors in the other counties. But this was a sensitive matter—best not to comment. He simply kept quiet.
Wu De seemed to have guessed his thoughts and smiled. "We're in a difficult situation right now—I'm sure you understand."
"Yes. I can see from the newspapers and documents that the center isn't having an easy time—too many places demanding money."
Wu De was momentarily taken aback at being referred to as "the center"—no one had ever called the Executive Committee that before. But he didn't correct it.
"Everywhere is demanding money, grain, and people—too many projects in motion at once." He smiled bitterly, patting the pile of documents on his desk. "Just the construction and development on Hainan Island is no small expense. And we still have to expand off the island: Taiwan, Shandong—all bottomless pits!"
Hearing this, Liu Xiang asked: "Has the Shandong operation already begun?"
"It's fine to tell you—you're an Elder." Wu De said. "Zhao Yingong has already connected with Sun Yuanhua's side and is preparing to first establish an estate there as a forward base. The scale isn't large, but there's still infrastructure investment required—and he's also planning some agriculture, which also demands investment. Taiwan even more so. And then there's Jeju Island." He shook his head. "Our territory, frankly speaking, is just one Hainan Island, and more than half remains undeveloped—few people, little cultivated land. We're trying to squeeze oil from stones while worrying about sparking popular revolt."
Liu Xiang hastily replied: "Squeezing oil from stones is impossible—the common people couldn't bear it. In Qiongshan I'm still following the Lingao experience: the so-called 'Reasonable Burden'—the wealthy bear more, the poor bear less. As long as things are done fairly, the common folk can accept it."
"And the gentry and scholars?"
"They certainly have objections, but don't dare act on them. The previous bandit suppression and land survey already scared them witless."
"Mm, you need to be careful. Though they don't dare act openly, these people wield great influence and hold considerable sway over the common people. You must guard against them scheming in the shadows." Wu De cautioned. "Qiongzhou is our base—it cannot be allowed to fall into chaos."
"I understand." Liu Xiang assumed a devout expression of "accepting instruction." Seeing that Wu De had nothing more to add, he quickly said: "I have a few matters I'd like to report."
Wu De smiled. "Go ahead—you've come to ask for things, haven't you?"
"Director Wu, you truly see through to a thousand li..." Liu Xiang's face had grown considerably thicker over time. His purpose in personally coming to Lingao to report on collection work was to obtain the resources he wanted—if he didn't apply during this opportune moment, who knew when he would get another chance.
"Very well, we're all Elder comrades here. Let's speak directly. What do you want?"
Liu Xiang produced his planning document from his fake BOSS briefcase and began explaining the several small county industries he and Tang Menglong had conceived.
(End of Chapter)