freenovelworld Chapter 168 Conflict
Chapter 168 Conflict
Seeing this, Constable Qi pulled Lin Ziping and hid in the bushes nearby.
Lin Ziping struggled and said, "Officer Qi, the situation is out of control. We have to go and help."
"What help are you offering? Lin Ziping, have you forgotten why you came here in the first place!" Officer Qi shouted. "Are you going to take responsibility if we can't collect enough grain?"
"Didn't they already take away several baskets just now? What are they doing now? Are they robbing us?" Lin Ziping retorted. "Besides, shouldn't the clans, gentry, and merchants in the city pay taxes even more?"
"Clan gentry, merchants? Lin Ziping, you make it sound so easy. Do you know what's behind them?" Constable Qi sneered. "Besides, wasn't this situation created by you?"
"What does this have to do with me?" Lin Ziping shouted angrily.
Officer Qi said, "What's it to you? Let me ask you, wasn't it you who proposed the distinction between coarse and fine grains? Weren't you involved with the bandits of Cat Mountain?"
"I was the one who suggested the distinction between coarse and refined grains, but what I really wanted was for the county government to address the soaring grain prices in the city," Lin Ziping said. "What does the fact that there are bandits have to do with collecting taxes and grain now? Isn't suppressing bandits the county government's job?"
"Lin Ziping, don't pretend you don't know. The people in the county government aren't blind. Everyone has seen the grain price increase. It's not like you can't afford it. Just turn a blind eye to this and it will pass. Why take it so seriously?" said Constable Qi.
After a pause, Constable Qi continued, "Do you know how much the mountain gives to the county government every year? How much tax can that offset?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ziping's pupils contracted slightly.
When the iron ore was discovered in the mountain, Lin Ziping had a vague feeling that the unauthorized mining might be related to the county government.
It was initially speculated that it might be County Magistrate Feng, but now it seems that the entire county government is involved.
Things I couldn't understand before, I suddenly understand now.
Why do bandits reappear every year despite the county government's annual efforts to suppress them?
Why are food prices skyrocketing but no one seems to care?
Why did the county government remain calm and unhurried when a large-scale infectious disease outbreak occurred in Fuchun County?
I originally thought that the county government office should be a place to shelter the people from the wind and rain, but later I found that it was involved in all the storms.
Seeing that Lin Ziping remained silent, Officer Qi softened his tone and said, "I can understand the youthful passion of young people, but they must understand what they should and should not do. As an outsider, you have no one to rely on in Fuchun, so you must be even more cautious."
Although there was violence and bloodshed in that era, for someone with no background to gain a place in a Fortune 500 company, besides being hardworking, recognizing their position, and being extremely cautious, was a testament to their abilities.
Now that we're here, should we continue doing the same thing as before?
Officer Qi patted Lin Ziping on the shoulder: "We've all been your age, we all understand, but don't act impulsively. Just watch from a distance, otherwise it'll be hard for everyone to explain."
Lin Ziping murmured, unable to utter a single word.
At this point, the standoff between the two groups of people at the village entrance reached a fever pitch.
The knives at Qi San and the others' waists had been unsheathed.
The villagers, carrying hoes, sickles, and wooden sticks, guarded the road into the village.
Qi San spat out a mouthful of phlegm: "These bastards, they don't know what's good for them. Brothers, let's go!"
Qi San charged at the villagers first, his face fierce and cursing.
Lin Ziping watched this scene from afar, finding it impossible to reconcile it with the honest young man from yesterday.
Seeing this, the others also rushed forward.
The villagers and Qi San and his group were mixed together, pushing and shoving, tearing at each other. Their already ill-fitting clothes were pulled loose and baggy, and at a glance, it was impossible to tell them apart.
Officer Qi gripped Lin Ziping's shoulder tightly, coldly observing everything at the village entrance.
The village head stood at the forefront, trying his best to stop the conflict between the two sides, but his individual strength was insignificant.
During the scuffle, he was pushed to the ground, which was like a drop of water splashing into hot oil.
"Murder! These officials have murdered someone!"
The clash of hoes, sickles, and swords, and the impact of sticks against scabbards, made the scene even more chaotic.
Suddenly, a hoe was about to hit Qi San's face.
"Watch out—" Lin Ziping struggled with all his might.
Officer Qi increased the pressure on his hands.
Lin Ziping turned his head, his eyes blazing with fury: "Captain Qi, aren't you going to stop it?"
Officer Qi said calmly, "A bunch of troublemakers, they won't behave until they see bloodshed. You'll get used to this after you've seen it so many times."
"You—" Lin Ziping was extremely anxious, but he couldn't break free at all, so he could only turn his head away and close his eyes in resentment.
Cries, shouts, and the clanging of metal against metal filled the air.
Lin Ziping clenched his fists tightly.
Suddenly, Lin Ziping smelled a burning odor, opened his eyes, and saw thick smoke rising from the village.
The villagers also smelled it and turned around to look at the village.
"They actually set the house on fire!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"That's my house. My daughter-in-law and grandson are still at home," a woman said, slapping her thigh as she looked in the direction of the fire.
"Zhao Da, your house is on fire too," someone said, pointing to the thick smoke.
In this era, most rural houses were thatched huts. With a little fire retardant added, they would catch fire easily, and if the houses were clustered together, a fire would spread quickly.
"These bastards won't let us live!" Several old women sat on the ground, slapping their thighs and wailing.
Lin Ziping grew up in the countryside and had seen many women sitting on the ground, slapping their legs, crying and cursing. He used to find it annoying, but now he felt a pang of sadness.
Gradually, the villagers stopped using their hoes and sickles.
Qi San wiped the blood from his face and said, "Have you thought this through? Hand over the grain, or next time it won't just be one family that gets burned."
"God, please open your eyes!" The old woman who gave Lin Ziping the pancakes cried out helplessly, her eyes filled with tears.
The child who once gave Lin Ziping wild fruit, holding a branch, nestled at the adults' feet, glaring resentfully at Qi San and the others.
The village head's clothes, which had been neat just moments before, were now wrinkled and crumpled, his straight back had slumped, and his steps were unsteady.
"Uncle Li—"
People nearby tried to help him up.
The village head waved his hand in refusal, then leaned against the archway at the entrance of the village, standing straight.
"Please return home, gentlemen. The remaining grain will be delivered tomorrow." The village head's voice was firm and resolute.
Qi San did not answer immediately, but looked in the direction where Lin Ziping and Constable Qi were hiding.
Lin Ziping also turned to look at him.
After a moment's thought, Officer Qi nodded slightly.
“Old Li, you are the most respected person in the whole village, so we will trust you this time and come again tomorrow,” Qi San said. “Let’s go.”
The other ten people also stepped out from the crowd.
"Let's go." Officer Qi grabbed Lin Ziping's wrist and led him away from the crowd.
Lin Ziping obediently followed behind Constable Qi, frequently looking back until he could no longer see the archway at the village entrance, and said, "Constable Qi, you can let me go now."
Officer Qi glanced behind him and softened his tone, saying, "Xiao Lin, it's normal to feel uncomfortable since it's your first time here. I felt the same way the first time. But don't be stubborn. If we don't finish collecting taxes, we'll all not only get punished, but we might also lose our jobs."
Lin Ziping took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a salute to Constable Qi, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Constable Qi. Was this how taxes were collected before?"
"It used to be much more intense than this. It's only in the last two years, with the discovery of iron ore in Maomao Mountain, that the taxation has improved a bit. But now... well, let's not talk about it," said Constable Qi.