Zhou Botao picked up a file that had just been placed on his desk. It was made locally in Zhou Dongtian's paper factory. It was a yellow, rough, thick paper. It was heavy and heavy to hold. He opened the cover and found a page inside.
Pages of personal materials, with photos attached - these are the materials of the "food poor" who attended the meeting for a few days, and the investigation of their personal situations has just been completed.
Qiu Hong's home was originally included in the surveillance scope of the Operations Department. Because there were people guarding the surroundings, it was inconvenient to install bugs. Zhou Botao did not arrange for anyone to use hawkers or other methods to get close to the surveillance area. This would be too strange and has no marketability.
There were a bunch of hawkers gathered next to his country house, and everyone could tell there was a scam. He arranged to use binoculars for surveillance from a distance.
Now they have found out the list and details of the "food poor" in Lingao County. Zhou Botao plans to take a closer look at the situation of this group of people to see if there is anything that can be used. Of course, he may not plan to use them, but directly
"Eliminate". This depends on the meaning of the Executive Committee.
Zhou Botao turned to the last few pages of information about Zhou Qi. He was very interested in Chen Minggang's eldest disciple, because during the investigation he learned that the master suspected that he had some unexplained relationship with his second wife.
But there has been no evidence.
Zhou Botao is very interested in rumors about the relationship between men and women. According to his experience as a detective, once the relationship between men and women reaches the stage where there are rumors, it is probably true. Just like once a wife suspects her husband
Cheating is mostly confirmed after investigation.
He asked someone to call Wu Xiang and handed him the materials: "Go and investigate Zhou Qi."
"Are you Chen Baye's apprentice?" Wu Xiang showed a hint of fear.
Zhou Botao glanced dissatisfied: "Why, are you afraid of him?"
Wu Xiang swallowed: "I'm not afraid."
"That's right," Zhou Botao said, "You are one of ours now, and we are afraid that he will take advantage of you. Please find out Zhou Qi's details for me, and keep an eye on his every move from now on."
You have to report to me, and you have to find out clearly when he poops and when he sleeps, do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
This answer was pretty standard. Looking at Wu Xiang's leaving figure, Zhou Botao gave him a look of disdain. This guy had a family feud. It turned out that he had a blood feud and hated the old society, and he also behaved in school.
I had a strong sense of hatred, but I didn’t expect that when it came to actual work, I had no courage at all. When I saw the people in the county government and the local tycoons, I still unconsciously showed a respectful attitude.
"It seems that hatred is not a panacea." Zhou Botao said, picked up a written order, opened it and took a look. He rang the bell and called his correspondent:
"Call the leader of the special publicity team. Yes, right away!"
Chen Minggang had just visited Xiong Buyou, and after getting the other party's permission, he immediately started to work hard. In addition to the usual notices issued by the county government and the distribution of "grain instructions" - that is, reminder notices, he also gathered his disciples and grandsons to collect grain.
Set up a counter in front of the county's official warehouse to collect grain.
Naturally, the first stage of the grain collection is to wait for grain households to come to pay their own taxes. After the first stage is over, the stage of going to the countryside to collect grain will enter. But this year, Chen Minggang ordered all his "grain collectors" to go to the countryside.
, creating a great momentum for "Zhang Tian".
For a time, the news that the Australians wanted to "gain land" spread throughout the county, causing great alarm among grain farmers.
The gentry are naturally unwilling to engage in land husbandry. No matter how corrupt and inefficient the original system is, they have formed a harmonious relationship with this system. As long as they pay a certain price as a "lubricant", under this system they want to
Just do whatever you want. Now a new force has come, and they want to re-measure the acres and register the property rights. Isn't this a bolt from the blue? The grain farmers suddenly became nervous, and then they learned from the grain collectors who went to the countryside.
The answer was affirmative: The Australians not only had to collect grain this time, but also had to land the land first, and the grain would be collected based on the number of acres based on the results of the land farming.
The grain farmers quickly sent people around to inquire about the news. Sure enough, the county and Dongmen City were abuzz with rumors about this incident, and they were very convincing. The idlers who were messing around under Chen Minggang were all arrogant. But there was also strange news coming out.
: To say that there is no such thing is completely bluffing by Chen Minggang and his gang.
Everyone quickly went to Zhang Youfu and asked him to confirm whether this was the case. However, they did not get any definite information from him. Zhang Youfu said that Chief Wu who was in charge of food collection was "away from home", and no one could reply. Zhang Youfu said
He was a little surprised by the change of things, but he remembered what Wu De had said about him, and felt that there must be something fishy behind the matter, and he did not dare to talk nonsense. He immediately went to Bairen City to see Chu Yu and reported the situation.
Of course, he couldn't get any reply from Chu Yu. Zhang Youfu stood in his house, looking at the "grain" that had just been delivered by the grain delivery man. He frowned for a few minutes and suddenly understood something.
Liu Youren sat on a bamboo couch under the steps of his main courtyard, smoking a dry cigarette, with puffs of green smoke curling up. There was a teapot and teacup on a bamboo table, as well as a piece of rough paper with rough edges. This is "
"Food is free".
Grain receipts are notices to urge grains. The government originally did not have such a thing, only grain strings - grain receipt vouchers. This is a set made by the yamen itself. It is a very thick rough-edged paper with a format printed with a wooden stamp. There are
If left blank, the grain dealer will fill in the name of the grain household and the amount of rice receivable. After receiving the order, the grain household must go to the county to pay on time. The time limit is divided into first limit, second limit and third limit. The third limit will be passed once.
, then it entered the chasing stage, and the grain-deficient households were immediately brought to the Yamen to chase them with sticks every three to five days, and some were also paraded with shackles.
But this is just talk. Those who will really be caught in the county government, spanked and put on the shackles, are ordinary small grain farmers who are isolated and isolated - just like Zhang Xingjiao at the beginning. Generally, they have some power on the ground.
The government officials did not dare to do this to the grain households. Some grain households were local gangsters. Although they had little political power, they were still gangsters who dared to fight and kill. If they were unwilling to pay the grain in full, they would send strong men to pretend to be household heads.
If you accept the crime, you can bribe the yamen of the soap class a little, cheat when playing the board, and sneak in. If you wait until the keeper of the old calendar furniture, the year is over. The grain households who have waited for a long time can communicate with the grain cadres and bookkeepers.
Negotiating terms and haggling over the amount of rice consumed during the "Jiangtou" event. No matter how powerful the boss is, they will not pay anything except the amount. As for the powerful gentry, most of them concealed a large amount of land and paid nothing at all.
, even if the Yamen knew about it, they would have no choice but to turn a blind eye.
The Liu family used to be wealthy in Calais. After Liu Youren donated a prisoner to his body, he became a "gentleman". His family's land was registered as less than 400 acres, but in fact it was nearly 2,000 acres. And "Gui Ji"
The land under his family's name amounts to more than 3,000 acres.
In addition to hiring long-term workers to cultivate these lands, the Liu family collects land rent for all of them. However, except for the 400 acres of registered paddy fields, the other land never pays a grain of rice as a grain tax.
In the past, Liu Youren used the same strategy against the Australians as he used to deal with the bandits: on the one hand, he would fortify himself and practice local bravery to protect himself;
This place has been like this since his ancestors.
But after going to the Political Consultative Conference and seeing the strength of the Kun thieves, his mind changed. Liu Youren realized that just dealing with the Kun thieves like he used to deal with the bandits would be a disadvantage. The strength shown by the Australians and
Various actions show that they have great ambitions. This ambition is unlikely to be satisfied in Lingao.
Such ambitions are certainly not something that a rural tycoon like him can hold back. If Liujiazhai wants to survive in Lingao and not end up like Goujiazhuang, he must be more proactive. This way he can at least protect himself.
Therefore, although he rarely goes to Dongmen City, he actually pays attention to every move of the Australians. As soon as the Tiandi Society was established, he joined. His move at first surprised the elders of the Liu family. They all expressed their opposition-
―How can I reveal my background to the Australians? Although the report is based on the number of acres of land for starting classes, Australian agricultural technicians are not fools. They will always cause trouble if they go to the countryside several times to provide "technical guidance"
Gotta understand.
Liu Youren patiently persuaded them: Even if he did not participate, wouldn't the Australians know how much land Liujiazhai has? This is not a secret at all in the county. Naturally, there are attentive people who will report to the Australians. Instead of waiting,
When people come to your door, it's better to deal with them first to make it easier to deal with them.
After joining Tiandihui, "agricultural technicians" came from Tiandihui to help him compost, deliver seedlings, and guide the long-term workers in farming. They worked very hard, which was beyond Liu Youren's expectation - he didn't understand why Australians did this.
If it is just to earn a few "service fees" and give the order to the liaison officer, which village dares not to pay, why bother to do such a laborious and troublesome task.
Just when he had been puzzled, the matter of taking over the grain and tax this time made him feel foggy again, and he felt that he could not understand the Australian people's thoughts at all.
His eyes fell on the grain package again. The positive amount and rice consumption figures were not filled in. The "grain messenger" who sent it said that according to the order of the Australian master, this grain requisition would have to be "landed".
Each family must report the number of fields before the first limit, and grain will be collected based on the new number of acres.
"Eighth Master said that this is the first time that Australian gentlemen have taken over the grain tax in the county. It is best for each family to help and report the number of acres of their own land more accurately - so as not to annoy them."
"It's bad," he said with a smile on his face, "This way everyone can get along, and we who are doing the errands can also have an explanation."