I Collect Taxes on My Territory!

Luo Yu stood on the halfway point of Chiqi Mountain, gazing into the valley where the people looked like tiny ants, moving back and forth, working hard.

The method of posting notices and absorbing refugees had some effect. In recent days, quite a few refugees had come to Changqi, bringing the city's population to over two thousand.

These people could build their own houses in designated areas after entering the city, participate in city construction for wages, and receive two meals a day from the city lord's office. While they couldn't eat meat every day, they could at least have a full meal every day.

Shen Li held several sheets of paper, reading aloud:

"The first two batches of wine sold plus the deposit we took from the Du family earned us 2,300 taels of silver. But then we bought 1,500 dan of grain from Merchant Jiang, and after deducting the wages for the workers and the cost of brewing materials, we only have 500 taels left.

With over 2,000 people, we need 40 dan of grain per day. The 1,500 dan of grain will last at most a month and a half..."

Luo Yu listened for a long time, his mouth bitter. In other words, after working for more than a month, they still only had a few hundred taels of silver, making him realize how difficult it was to be a city lord.

However, he was very satisfied with Shen Li's performance. She managed the accounts, coordinated resources, and distributed supplies in an orderly manner. In her spare time, she would learn to write from him and Xiao Shaoyou. Although her handwriting was still messy, she was improving quickly.

Shen Li put away the paper:

"As the population grows, our expenses will grow too. We can only wait for Tingyulou to sell those thousand jars of wine before we have money to support the city's expenses.

But those Stoneheap Ridge bandits..."

Xiao Shaoyou, standing beside him, spoke: "Today, Dong Chuan took people to deliver wine, but Yu Han Gong shot them back again. This is the third time."

In recent days, Luo Yu had sent people out of the city to test sending wine to Fengchuan, but the Stoneheap Ridge bandits blocked their way. Yu Han Gong was strange - he would always use arrows to warn them, but never hurt anyone. Only when Liu Ban'er brought bandits to intercept them did they injure many brothers, almost killing someone.

In other words, Tingyulou had received so many orders at the wine market, but Changqi hadn't sent out a single jar of wine yet.

Xiao Shaoyou said coldly: "If it doesn't work, I'll lead people to wipe out the bandits. Just three hundred people, we can handle it."

"This band of bandits knows the terrain well. If they hide in the mountains, we might not get the upper hand. And I'm worried that if we go all out, what if Yao's family attacks us from behind?"

Luo Yu's face was cold. This wasn't a peaceful era. Everyone spoke with their fists. With Dianxiangju's business being taken by Tingyulou, if Yao's family was pushed to the limit, they would do anything.

"Let me think about it. There's still half a month before the delivery time, no rush."

Luo Yu crossed his arms:

"Besides the bandits, I've been thinking about something else. We can't keep buying grain and transporting it to Changqi. Two thousand people we can manage, but what about twenty thousand? Changqi should at least be self-sufficient in part. What if our grain supply line is cut off one day? What would we eat?"

"Actually, actually I've had a suggestion."

Shen Li mustered up her courage:

"Blackqi Mountain is covered in black soil. This kind of black soil is fertile and suitable for farming. We can cultivate terraced fields on the slopes. While it's not as convenient as farming on the plains, it's better than nothing. Blackqi Mountain is large and can produce quite a bit of grain."

"Good idea."

Xiao Shaoyou added: "Also, there are many villages around Sanchi Mountain with fields. Since they're Changqi's territory, the Jun family only collected three months of land tax. With the time almost up, we can collect taxes from the villages."

"Let's do both then - cultivate terraced fields and collect taxes."

Luo Yu smiled lightly:

"I've been so busy since coming to Sanchi Mountain. I haven't had time to visit the territory. Shaoyou, come with me."

...

Sanchi Mountain was vast. Even riding for two days couldn't circle it completely. The interior was dead-end, uninhabited, but there were many villages at the foot of the mountains, with fields cultivated by villagers living their own lives.

He had thought that being far from the border, the villagers would lead a life like in a utopia. But when Luo Yu saw the villagers, he realized he had been naive.

This was Xujia Village, a small village not far from Changqi City, with about a hundred households and five hundred people.

There were many villagers working in the fields. Spring planting was over, and millet was beginning to sprout. They were clearing weeds and watering in the fields. These farmers were all yellow-faced and emaciated, their eyes filled with a kind of emptiness and numbness, looking like zombies.

There were several servants carrying whips in the fields, shouting:

"Damn you lazy peasants, no one can be lazy in front of me. If you don't finish the work today, there'll be no food!"

Whoever worked slowly would definitely get a lash, leaving bloody welts.

"What's going on?" Luo Yu's eyes narrowed. This wasn't the slightest bit like a utopia.

Xiao Shaoyou explained coldly:

"Since Qicheng was abandoned for so long, these villages became ownerless land. Over time, each village developed a large landlord who joined forces to oppress the people, seizing land through fraud and force.

In other words, these farmers don't own any land. They're all working for the landlord, earning just a little food for their hard day's work to barely survive."

"I see." Luo Yu said coldly: "I guess this kind of thing happens a lot in Longxi?"

"Not just Longxi, it happens everywhere."

Xiao Shaoyou mocked: "Landlords and aristocrats seize land, while commoners barely survive. For farmers, having a few acres of their own land would be a great blessing."

"How can people survive without land?"

Luo Yu's eyes narrowed:

"They say Shen Li and the others came from slavery, how pitiful. It seems the people of our Qian country aren't much better off."

"But where would the people get land?" Xiao Shaoyou shook his head helplessly: "Do you expect those landlords to give up their land and distribute it to other people?"

"City Lord Luo's visit is an honor, I apologize for not welcoming you sooner."

As they spoke, a man in brocade clothes hurried through the fields and respectfully bowed to Luo Yu:

"Your humble servant Xu Nan of Xujia Village greets City Lord Luo!"

The white-haired Xu Nan was the largest landlord in the village, owning almost all the land in Xujia Village. Just looking at his silk robe showed he was wealthy.

"Is all this land yours?" Luo Yu pointed to the fields: "Why beat and scold the farmers?"

"Ah, these peasants are all lazy. They won't work without beating and scolding."

Xu Nan chuckled:

"Your humble servant has so much land, it can't be left idle, right?"

"Peasants?"

Luo Yu turned to look at him, his eyes suddenly cold: "Why call fellow villagers peasants?"

"These people are the poorest farmers, with low status. Naturally they're peasants."

The cold gaze made the old man instinctively feel fear and ask carefully:

"City Lord Luo, is something wrong?"

"All the same surname, all from the same village. Why do they have no land while you have hundreds of acres? Is it because you have good luck or do you have some good way to make everyone willingly give you all their land?"

"This..."

Xu Nan was momentarily speechless, unable to answer, but he could hear a hint of hostility in Luo Yu's tone.

Luo Yu glanced at him coldly and then asked:

"The Jun family collected three months of land tax in advance. The three months are almost up. Have you prepared the land tax for Changqi? I'll collect three months' worth."

"This..." The old man stammered: "City Lord Luo, last year's harvest was poor. It might be difficult to gather the land tax right away."

"Why can the Jun family collect it but I can't?"

Luo Yu laughed coldly:

"I'm not being unreasonable. I'll give you a month at most. If you can't pay the land tax within a month, I'll show you who's in charge of Changqi City!"