Chapter 237: The Autumn Levy (Part 2)

“I think Old Eighth’s greed will be insatiable this year!” Liu Youren said with a grim face. “This group of Australians has entrusted the wrong person.”

“Master Liu, you worry too much. The matter of tax collection will be handled the same way it always has been. What’s the trouble? Do you think Old Eighth will suddenly change his nature?” Zhang Youfu consoled him.

“Hmph, do I not know Old Eighth?” Liu Youren said coldly. “He’s the type who’s best at bullying others with borrowed power. Now that he’s latched onto the big tree of the Australians, he’ll be unstoppable. You just watch, this will surely end in trouble.” With that, he stomped his foot and left.

Zhang Youfu didn’t try to stop him and hurried to report back to Wu De.

Wu De gave a mysterious smile and only said, “From now on, you must remember one thing: I am on a business trip, a long one. So, for the time being, you don’t need to come looking for me.”

“Yes, yes,” Zhang Youfu replied, not understanding what he meant, but agreeing nonetheless.

“But if you have any business, you must report to my secretary, Chu Yu, at any time. Understand?”

“I understand, I understand.” He knew Chu Yu. She was originally a maid in the Gou family and was now Wu De’s head personal maid. Zhang Youfu knew that the Australians didn’t shy away from putting women in charge; there were even women who were public leaders.

Wu De then gave him some more secret instructions. Zhang Youfu nodded repeatedly.

Finally, Wu De asked another question, “You’ve joined the Heaven and Earth Society, right?”

“Yes, although my land isn’t actually enough,” Zhang Youfu said. He had joined purely to show support, but after joining, the Heaven and Earth Society had been truly dedicated. Someone would come from time to time to instruct his long-term laborers on farming, and they would also send new things like fertilizer. Now, the crops on his dozens of mu of land were growing extremely well.

“You are to prepare a room. The Heaven and Earth Society will send someone to live at your house to provide guidance at all times.”

“Yes.” Zhang Youfu knew this was someone to watch him, but the fact that they were sending someone to his house clearly meant there were big plans for the tax collection. He tentatively asked:

“Then, every time I discuss matters with the grain-paying households, should I tell him?”

“He is there to help you with farming; he is not concerned with other matters. Remember, if you have any business, find Chu Yu.”

Chen Minggang himself was very happy when he heard from Zhou Qi that Master Xiong had agreed to let them handle this year’s tax collection. He had his own calculations. In the past, although he had made a good profit from tax collection through various underhanded means, it was still a bit less than what could be made in more populous and land-rich counties like Qiongshan, Chengmai, and Wenchang. The local landlords were mostly self-sufficient and fortified, and the court’s authority didn’t extend very far here. After a single autumn tax collection, and after sharing the profits with his underlings, his actual take was only two or three hundred shi. For Chen Minggang, who had been to the prefectural city of Qiongshan and to Guangzhou and had seen a bit of the world, this income was a bit too small.

Now, the Australians had arrived. This group was tough. They were usually polite, but they wouldn’t blink an eye when it came to killing and burning. Whether it was attacking the Gou family’s estate or suppressing bandits, they were ruthless in killing and plundering, scaring the wits out of the local gentry. This time, Chen Minggang felt he had found a powerful backer.

The government was a place that could be easily bribed, but the Australians, it seemed, could not. Chen Minggang was a keen observer. He felt that while the Australians appeared polite, honest, and trustworthy on the surface, they were, in essence, a group driven by profit.

The Australians would protect any person or matter that could bring them sufficient benefits.

This time, in taking on the grain tax, he intended to give the Australians plenty of benefits while also fully utilizing their “prestige” to make a fortune for himself in the coming years.

Chen Minggang believed that given the inefficiency of the government and the military prowess of the Australians, even if the Great Ming could drive them out, it would take at least three to five years. It was even possible that the Australians, like the Portuguese, might simply settle in Lingao permanently.

Even if the Australians packed up and left in the future, he, Chen Minggang, would not lose a thing. At worst, if his reputation became too bad, he would just resign from his post, let his apprentice Zhou Qi serve as a puppet for a while, and then have his son take over. As long as he had the Fish-Scale Register, no matter who was emperor, the post of Household Office clerk would belong to his family. After all, his family had already been through two dynastic changes since the Song dynasty; a few more wouldn’t make much difference.

This was Chen Minggang’s grand plan. But how to please the Australians, how big their appetite was, and how much they would allow him to do—he still needed to feel them out.

He instructed Zhou Qi to summon his apprentices and the county’s tax enforcers to his private villa—which was Qiuhong’s house. After his wife’s big scene, Chen Minggang had simply made it public and moved into Qiuhong’s residence openly. He had even informed the head of the county’s fast-response squad to keep an eye out. Although his wife and her family were furious, there was nothing they could do. Zhang Wu had tried to cause trouble several times but was suppressed by the squad leader. Zhang Shi, concerned about the opinions of his peers, could no longer support his brother and sister’s antics. The two sides were in a state of cold war.

After a few days, the tax enforcers from all over had gathered. There were originally nearly thirty tax enforcers in Lingao county, divided into two groups. One group consisted of tax-farmers, mostly small village landlords who had gotten the post through collusion with Chen Minggang or because they had many kin in the countryside and could act with impunity. The other group consisted of ruffians and down-and-outs from the towns and countryside, as well as convicts exiled here, who served as muscle during tax collection.

This time, when they gathered to discuss matters, half of them were missing. It turned out that many of them had been colluding with bandits. The recent bandit suppression campaign had launched a large-scale mass movement to “dig out the roots of the bandits,” and several had been executed or arrested. Some who had no connection to the bandits but had accumulated great public resentment from past tax collections were also accused of colluding with bandits and executed. The work teams were happy to let this happen, as it gave them a legitimate reason to eliminate some local tyrants.

The tax enforcers who did come were still shaken by the rural campaigns and were terrified of the Australians. A female ‘Kunzei’ named Du Wen, in particular, struck fear into their hearts. It was said that a few who had tasted her “iron leg” would spend the rest of their lives as eunuchs.

They had been anxious, not knowing what the future held. Now, suddenly receiving Clerk Chen’s notice to gather and discuss tax collection, their spirits were revived. They eagerly put on their decent clothes and came to the meeting.

This group gathered together, buzzing like flies, all talking about the changes that had happened in the past year—who had died, who had been arrested and was still missing… Being able to gather again and hearing that they could continue to handle the tax collection felt like the sun breaking through the clouds.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Chen Minggang cleared his throat and got down to business.

He spoke about the Australians taking over the grain tax this year. They had already heard rumors of this on their way here. Hearing that they would be working for the Australians, none of them felt the shame of being “Ming traitors.” Instead, they were all quite excited—this was a chance to connect with the Australians! Not only could they continue their work, but they could also make a fortune.

“…It’s just that we still don’t quite understand the Australians’ temperament. I’ve called everyone here today to discuss a proper plan so that we can negotiate with their leaders.”

After some discussion, since the Australians were taking on the entire tax collection, the original tax-farming households would no longer be involved. Although subcontracting was a possibility, everyone agreed that it was best to be cautious the first time working for the Australians. Rather than scheming about subcontracting and adding surcharges, it was better to focus on collection. Delivering a solid amount of grain and provisions for the Australians was the top priority.

“But how much is enough?” someone asked.

“From what Chief Xiong said, they want to include the ‘reasonable burden’ in the collection. That’s three thousand ‘public shi’,” Zhou Qi explained.

“That’s too little.” If it were only that much, why would the Australians bother taking on the tax collection? They clearly had high expectations.

“That’s right, we have to double it. Only then will the Australian masters recognize our abilities.”

“That means we’ll have to increase the amount of wastage rice. The original three dou per shi of standard tax definitely won’t be enough.” Several people who were good at mental arithmetic immediately calculated the numbers.

One of the tax enforcers, known as “Little Hu from the umbrella shop,” said, “Eighth Master! I think if we just follow the old rules, we won’t make much profit.”

The magistrate’s share had to come from it, the Australians’ “reasonable burden” was a large sum, and this group of men naturally wanted to make a small fortune for themselves. If they simply followed the old customs, it would just mean adding more wastage rice.

Adding wastage rice was not a big deal, but the small households with no connections were already being squeezed dry. No matter how much they were pressed, not much more could be extracted, and they might even go to the Australians to complain. The large households could certainly afford to pay more; not only did they pay less wastage rice, but they also had many undeclared, privately cultivated fields and lands they sheltered for others. But they had already received many benefits from them in the past. To add more for no reason would surely make them resentful, and future dealings would be difficult…

Zhou Qi said, “What’s there to be afraid of? If anyone refuses to pay more, let the Australians handle them. They’ll end up like the Gou family’s estate. Let’s see whose neck is still stiff then—”

“We can’t push things to the extreme,” Chen Minggang shook his head. “It’s not hard to stir up trouble, but we all have to continue living in Lingao in the future. What will you do when the Australians leave?”

“Little Hu from the umbrella shop” said, “We must come up with some pretext. That way, we can ask the large households for more, and they’ll have nothing to say. It will also give us room to maneuver in the future.”

Chen Minggang nodded. This Little Hu was quick-witted, much smarter than his own apprentices. Unfortunately, the man was a cripple and couldn’t be put in a prominent position. At this thought, he glanced at Zhou Qi and couldn’t help but feel a sense of annoyance.