Jinzhou.
In a county town at the border.
County Lieutenant Zhang Laowu was at home entertaining guests.
Like Zhang Laowu, the head of the house was a veteran who had retired from the battlefield.
Fang Tou lost an eye on the battlefield, so he was also called One-eyed.
As time passed, everyone forgot his original name.
One-eyed and Zhang Laowu were both outsiders, and they were vaguely ostracized in the county government office.
However, the magistrate was quite close to them and put them in an important position.
Zhang Laowu's wife was busy in the kitchen.
After moving to Jinzhou, Zhang Laowu's family started to laugh more.
Liao Town was bitter and cold. Although the land was fertile, farming was difficult.
Besides, Zhang Laowu was just a crippled retired soldier in Liao Town.
Now, he was a county captain, a high-ranking figure in the entire county!
Zhang Laowu's family quickly got out of their predicament.
They had bought land in Jinzhou, and Zhang Laowu's son was studying in the county academy.
The days were getting more and more prosperous.
Zhang Laowu and One-eyed were drinking together.
They inevitably talked about the county.
"Brother One-Eyed, how's the cleaning up going for those troublemakers under you?" asked Zhang Laowu.”
"Those few embroidered pillows still dare to play tricks on me, but I've already taken care of them!" One-eyed smiled and said.”
Zhang Laowu laughed.
These outsiders had occupied the position of the local wealthy families.
Therefore, after taking office, there had been people who had been causing trouble for them openly and secretly.
Zhang Laowu's subordinates had many such fellows.
However, Zhang Laowu and One-eyed were people who could survive on the battlefield.
None of them were idiots. Moreover, they had a ruthlessness that the children of the local wealthy families did not have.
With the magistrate's support, he quickly chased out the disobedient servants.
"Brother Zhang, have you heard of the ghost market in the county?" One-eyed suddenly asked.”
"Of course." Zhang Laowu nodded and said,"The big knife that cut off my leg was sold to the Northern Barbarians from the ghost market."”
The Northern Barbarians lacked iron and blacksmiths.
The Northern Barbarian soldiers were not well-equipped in the beginning. They relied on the mobility of their warhorses to fight against the infantrymen of the Great Gan Lord Dynasty.
However, at some point, the Northern Barbarians had also been equipped with high-quality machetes.
Some of the elite Northern Barbarian soldiers even wore armor.
One of Zhang Laowu's legs had been chopped off by a Northern Barbarian soldier with a snow-white machete.
At this point, Zhang Laowu revealed a hateful gaze.
The big families in the county had secretly colluded with the Northern Barbarians and traded with them.
It could be said that everyone in the county knew about it.
The ghost market was a market for trading with the northern barbarians.
Almost all the wealthy families in the county had participated in this trade with the Northern Barbarians.
Weapons, salt, tea leaves.
The imperial court forbade the export of these items from the Northern Barbarians.
They were all sold to the Northern Barbarians.
They exchanged for winter pearls, ginseng, mink fur, and other goods that were very popular in the capital.
He earned a lot of profit from it.
The mansion built by the local wealthy merchants was even bigger than the mansion of the Liao Town General.
Zhang Laowu and One-eyed were disabled soldiers on the battlefield.
They hated the Northern Barbarians very much.
They hated those who colluded with the Northern Barbarians even more.
However, the county magistrate also saw through their thoughts and asked them to endure for the time being.
Zhang Laowu and One-eyed had been secretly gathering information about the ghost market.
The two of them drank to their heart's content and returned.
Early the next morning, a servant came over and said that the magistrate had something important to discuss.
Zhang Laowu and One-eyed immediately put on their official robes and went to the magistrate's office.
The county magistrate, who was wearing a green official robe, was talking to the registrar.
These two were both cultured people and his superiors. Although Zhang Laowu was from the military, he still respected them very much.
At this moment, Zhang Laowu realized that although it was an important meeting, there were only four people present.
Magistrate, the main book, Zhang Laowu, and the household room room head one-eyed.
After the magistrate closed the door, he said to Zhang Laowu,"County Lieutenant Zhang, the imperial court has just issued an order to levy a business tax on local merchants.”
One-eyed shuddered.
The Great Gan Lord Dynasty originally had a business tax, but this was a tax on traveling merchants.
The tax rate was not high.
The imperial court had never levied taxes on the most profitable segment of the local merchants.
Could it be that he was going to make a move on the local rich?
Zhang Laowu suddenly understood. No wonder the magistrate was so careful.
If the news was leaked, the big families in the county would definitely make a fuss.
"I finally understand Your Majesty's intentions!" The magistrate sighed. Letting you two loyal soldiers of the imperial court take up your posts in the county is to give me good helpers in advance!”
When the county magistrate first took office, he was also forced by the local wealthy families for a period of time.
He had also spent a lot of effort to reach a balance with the local wealthy families.
Some county magistrates with poor abilities would even be taken over by the local wealthy families.
However, the current county magistrate relied on his trusted aide, the main registrar, and the support of Zhang Laowu and One-eyed.
He had already firmly grasped the power of the county government.
"The imperial court has issued an order to destroy the ghost market in the northern region!”
"The imperial court will also collect a heavy tax from all the families that participate in the ghost market trade!”
"If you don't account for how much you've earned, then you'll be directly levied according to your family property!”
"The imperial court raised the rate of collection of business taxes and ordered the counties to build markets in the city for trading.”
"County Lieutenant, you are responsible for maintaining the security of the county. If there is any unrest, suppress it immediately!”
"Hufang, you have to bring people to calculate the tax. In the future, when the market is established, you will also be responsible for collecting taxes.”
"The two of you, this is the Imperial Court's grand plan! For the emperor, we must succeed!”
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