At noon, the gongs in Douzhuang rang wildly.
"The short-haired ghoul is back. The short-haired ghoul is back..."
The flag of the revolutionary army was fluttering, and two thousand soldiers and horses lined up outside the west gate.
Mrs. Huo took the book. There were only two big words on it: Pay back the money!
"Go and get two thousand silver for Shorthair." Mrs. Huo held her forehead, her head ached.
Li Zicheng was victorious and his troops returned home.
When they arrived at Duanshi Town, Jia Fugui ran out crying.
"Commander! Gou Ri's officers and soldiers stole three thousand taels of silver. Please ask the commander to make the decision for the common people!"
This is not easy to do.
Li Zicheng only gave him the two thousand silver coins that Dou Zhuang had brought to him, "borrow one thousand and pay back two thousand."
Jia Fugui wiped his tears and said, "To be honest, I have five thousand silver hidden in the cellar, and I would like to lend it all to the commander-in-chief."
"Bullshit!" Li Zicheng laughed angrily.
…
Qinshui Dongzhi County was heartbroken, but the short-haired man came back unscathed. What did the officers and soldiers do for food?
He originally wanted to unite with the gentry to expel hundreds of bandits from the city.
Those gangsters held grievance meetings all day long, and most of the people in the city were bewitched, leaving endless poison.
What is particularly hateful is that the gangsters are spreading wild words all over the city and outside the city, such as "Knife in hand, follow me; kill corrupt officials and eradicate evil gentry" and the like, which really makes the gentlemen nervous.
County Government Flower Hall.
Li Zicheng pushed a plate of silver over and said, "I respect you."
Master Liu smiled awkwardly and pushed back, "I don't dare. If you have errands to do, Commander-in-Chief, just give me your orders."
Li Zicheng pushed again, "I will pay the taxes this summer. You and Dong..."
Master Liu hurriedly stood up and bowed, "Commander, this will cost this old man's life, I..."
"Don't panic! Listen to me..."
Qinshui County's summer grain quota is more than 2,000 shi, and in recent years, the actual harvest has been 1,340 shi.
If the revolutionary army pays taxes and pays 500 shi of grain to the county, and another 1,000 shi plus 20% of the price in silver, a penny is a lot.
"Is that so..." Mr. Liu stroked his beard and sat down, leaning on the back of the chair, "Does the commander-in-chief really mean what he said?"
The commander-in-chief smiled and said, "We are also people with status, there is no need to fool you."
Master Liu glanced at the silver plate, picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "This matter can be discussed."
Li Zicheng pushed the money over and said, "Thank you, Master."
"It's easy to talk about." Master Liu's smile turned into squinting eyes.
Land tax is not easy to collect.
The main officers and soldiers are still suppressing thieves in the Yangcheng area next door. I don't know which day they will reach Qinshui. This matter must be dealt with as soon as possible.
We have done some research in the early stage, and now tax teams are coming out from all over, mainly from large and medium-sized households. No matter who you are, you are a civil servant, a fifth-rank official, a relative of the emperor, and a descendant of Du Fu. All of them will pay the tax.
Then the lawsuit came to Li Zicheng.
Master Liu murmured: "...I really can't shirk it..."
Li Zicheng slapped the table, "Then don't blame me for killing you! Who can dance happily? Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!"
Master Liu was shocked: "Isn't this...this...isn't this bad?"
In fact, Li Zicheng was not willing to kill more wealthy people unless it was absolutely necessary. Sometimes he could win people's hearts by compromising and try to leave a good impression on the boss. But the so-called compromise was often just wishful thinking.
"Master, please inform them not to challenge the patience of the revolutionary army. If the taxes are not paid within three days, all the food arrears for the past years will be recovered. If they continue to resist to the end, they will be hanged in the city gate tower and their homes will be ransacked!"
Li Zicheng stretched out his hand to show a few grams, "I only give you three days!"
…
Four days later, no corpses were hung on the city gate tower, and the actual harvest of grain and beans was 3,100 shi. Liu Fangliang was directly dragged to Lishan in the south to camp.
It's a pity that the Qinshui King of Lao Zhu's family has not lived in the county for more than a hundred years, otherwise he would be able to make ends meet with just one vote.
This time only Douzhuang did not hand over a grain of grain.
Li Zicheng ran to shoot it twice to vent his anger, and returned angrily.
On the eighth day of June, Master Liu sneaked into Li Zicheng's room.
"The commander-in-chief and the state capital have responded to the letter and are sure to send troops here."
"Would it be helpful to give money away?"
"I'm afraid... there are quite a few of those gentry who are very knowledgeable, and it's hard to hide the fact that the revolutionary army has entered the city."
"Think of a way to delay it for a hundred taels a day!"
"middle!"
…
Li Zicheng took the time to train his troops for two days, practicing how to attack the city.
June 18th.
The revolutionary army urged all merchants to come and exchange their banknotes.
Li Zicheng held the magistrate's hands tightly and shook them up and down, "Mr. Dong, it's a pleasure to cooperate with you. I'll say goodbye for now. If the higher ups give you trouble, just come to my place and become the magistrate."
"..." Mr. Dong smiled uglier than crying.
As soon as Li Zicheng turned around, he quickly reached out and wiped his clothes violently a few times - I didn't expect short-haired people to have such a hobby.
The revolutionary army brigade moved west, and Li Zicheng led a sentry of cavalry to the east.
After walking ten miles along the river, we encountered an army of soldiers.
Just as the opponent was about to unload the cannon from the car, Xin Sizhong was already galloping over with his cavalry.
The gunner shouted and fled.
Guerrilla Li Ning chopped down two of them on the spot, halting the rout.
It was too late to fire, and the officers and soldiers fired their three-eyed cannons a hundred paces away.
"Dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong..."
Okay, now you’re done!
Xin Sizhong drew his knife and raised it high: "Kill!"
Three hundred cavalrymen urged their horses forward.
The officers and soldiers were instantly in chaos, and Li Ning could not stop him, so he had to rush north into the ravine.
This time Li Zicheng showed no kindness and let Xin Sizhong go on a killing spree.
We will soon face off against the army, so hurry up and pick on the weak to see blood.
By the time I was drinking a bowl of water, the battle was over, and one or two hundred people were lying on the road.
Li Zicheng collected the spoils of war, cleaned the battlefield, and led his troops to retreat.
Qinshui County was still wondering whether to close the door to resist the thieves or lie down and pretend to be dead, but the revolutionary army had already galloped away.
At the front, Liu Fangliang led a sentry of men and horses, as well as the Women's Camp of the Children's Camp, and others to go south to Mount Li, where they set up camp and prepared to open up a base area.
The rest of the brigade followed Li Zicheng out of the Taiyue Mountains to the west.
In addition to You Shilu in the Shangdang area, soldiers from Hebei and Henan will soon come over, so go out and hide first.
Also, Zhao Sheng, the lamplighter who stayed in Shaanxi, surrendered and rebelled again. He was chased by Cao Wenzhao and was in a hurry. If he was not rescued, he would burp.
After all, Zhao Sheng was a scholar. He could write poems in literature and mount a horse to kill people in martial arts. It was rare!
Unlike other literati, he can actually make jokes like "one shot can ruin people for dozens of miles".
To be continued...