Guangzhou, Donglai County, Ye County.

There was a commotion inside and outside the city.

The outside of the city was crowded with people, and the countless crowds surrounded the city. There was a sea of ​​people, and the crowd almost crushed the city wall.

I saw carriages blocking the official road. The guards were pushing each other and the carriage drivers were yelling at each other. Even the nobles who had always been weak were no exception at this moment.

A noble man leaned half of his body out of the carriage, pointed at the person blocking the front, and angrily scolded: "I am the Prime Minister of Tatecheng County! Get the hell out of my way!"

Someone in the carriage in front of him stuck his head out and cursed: "Nai Gong is the lieutenant of Le'an County! Who are you!!"

There was constant noise outside the city, and everyone was squeezing to get into the city.

In front of the city gate, there were many soldiers holding spears, and there were archers and crossbowmen in the distance to cooperate.

They are checking people entering the city.

The person in charge of the interrogation was a young nobleman. He had a good appearance, wore exquisite light armor, and was spotless. He stood in front of many soldiers and looked at the people who were about to enter the city.

A farmer was holding a child and wanted to squeeze in. Several soldiers raised their spears, but he did not dare to move.

"My lord, I have a past. I came from Qingzhou."

The young man looked at the other person up and down and said, "A hundred dollars for each person, two hundred dollars for two people."

The farmer's eyes widened, "Noble sir, just bring some food and let me go into the city!"

"No money? Then go to another city, the next one!"

The man waved his hand, and the peasant wanted to say something else. The soldier swung his spear, but the peasant did not dare to go any further. He hugged the child and squeezed into the crowd on both sides.

The next one was a carriage, but the driver still insulted the farmer just now and dared to stand in front of him.

The noble man in the car came down and glanced at the coachman. The coachman hurriedly handed over the pass to the young man, along with a small bag.

The coachman did this in a very subtle way. Unexpectedly, the young man handed the check back, picked up the money bag, opened it in front of everyone, made a few calculations, and then raised his head with a smile.

"not enough."

"What's not enough?"

"You have to pay five hundred yuan per person and eight thousand yuan for the carriage."

The young man looked at his followers and said, "Thirteen thousand dollars."

The noble man's face changed drastically, and he pointed at the young man, "I have never heard of the principle of having to pay money when entering the city! I am not a merchant!"

"You guarding the city gate, how dare you so blatantly extort people who enter the city, what do you want to do?!"

The young man laughed and said, "My surname is Cui and my given name is Cong. My brother-in-law is Li Gong, the governor of Guangzhou. This time, I am obeying Li Gong's order to guard this place and collect the city tax!"

"fart!"

The noble man immediately stopped pretending and took out his official seal, "I am an official from Qingzhou! Let me in quickly!"

Cui Cong raised his head and looked at him contemptuously, "Since you are an official in Qingzhou, why did you come to Guangzhou?"

"Don't want to pay?"

"Next!!"

"Wait a minute!"

The noble man stopped the other party and looked at the carriage. Soon, a servant took out a bigger bag and handed it to Cui Cong with difficulty. After Cui Cong took inventory, he allowed them to enter the city.

Then came another group of people.

This is the case at several city gates. The officials are extremely busy, busy 'checking' people coming in and out. There are also special soldiers responsible for transporting the results of these 'checks', with cart after cart of money going to the government offices.

Transport in the direction.

There was chaos outside the city, but it was not much better inside.

Along the road, people could be seen kneeling on the ground and trembling. Some people stretched out their hands and prayed, but no one paid attention.

There were cries everywhere, and more and more people poured into the city. These were homeless people who couldn't even find a place to stay.

The carriage transported the money all the way into the official office.

The door of the government office was wide open, and soldiers were patrolling back and forth.

The backyard of the government office.

Li Zuxun, the governor of Guangzhou, walked tremblingly in the backyard warehouse on crutches.

At this moment, the house was filled with all kinds of rare treasures, and coins were scattered on the ground. His wife, Mrs. Cui, who was much younger than him, held his arm and led him back and forth in the warehouse.

Ms. Cui looked at the shining golden treasures around her, and then glared at Li Zuxun beside her.

"Look, in just a short time, we have caught so many good things!"

"Are you still saying that my idea is wrong?"

Li Zuxun was not that old, but his back was stooped and his legs and feet were not very good. Facing his wife, he showed a flattering smile, "I'm not saying what the lady said is wrong, I just have my own concerns."

.”

"It's natural for those untouchables to ask for money from them."

"But among the officials and officials in Qingzhou, many of them have friendships with me, and we have a very good relationship with them on weekdays. Besides, many of them are well-known sages in the world. Isn't it inappropriate for us to treat them like this?"

Li Zuxun also came from a wealthy family, and Li Zu'e of 'Da Qi Sanhuang Pill' was his sister.

However, there was no magnanimity in his body, and his whole person revealed a vulgar and cowardly temperament.

Mrs. Cui was much stronger. Unlike her skinny husband, she looked taller and stronger than her husband. She frowned and cursed: "Bullshit friendship!!"

"Do these friendships count?"

"You are talking to them now. If you are in trouble, will they talk to you?"

"They came here on their own, so what if they pay the city tax?"

"As for those wise men in your mouth, they are all scared to death by Liu Taozi, so why bother?"

Ms. Cui's mouth was very fast, and she refuted Li Zuxun in an instant and was unable to answer. Ms. Cui looked at the treasures around her and said softly: "Only these are the most precious."

Li Zuxun also looked at those treasures. He swallowed and looked at Cui again.

"Madam, what you said is correct. However, Liu Taozi's army has arrived in Qingzhou, and I heard that Gao Chuo of Qizhou was quartered in public by him. Money is good, but we also have to find a way to save our lives.

"

"Don't worry! I've already thought about it for you!"

Ms. Cui raised her head, looking exactly like her brother at the city gate, and said, "Those people in the state are just trying to scare you. Gwangju is a big state and there are so many people from Qingzhou who have fled in. Even if they are recruiting, they are also trying to scare you."

He can recruit tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of people, but if he can't defeat Liu Taozi, can't he still defend the city?"

"How difficult can it be to defend the city? If tens of thousands of people stand on the city wall, what can Liu Taozi do?"

Li Zuxun said hurriedly: "This is not how war works."

"Interrupting me again?!"

Cui's tone raised another level. She stared at her husband, "Are you the only one who is smart and everyone else is stupid? When did I miss it? Wasn't my opinion correct every time?"

"It's been so many times and you still don't believe me?"

Li Zuxun quickly lowered his head, "That's not what I meant."

"Then just listen to me. We can also charge some other fees. I still have many ideas, and I can come up with them one by one."

Cui's eyes flashed, and she said excitedly: "I told you a long time ago, the emperor of Yecheng is no longer counted. Now it depends on who has the strongest fist. This is only the income of a city, and

As for the other cities, I think you can replace the officials in the other cities with our own people, and we won’t be short of these anyway."

"Let them all go make money for us."

"And those piers!"

"We have to replace our people!!"

After looking at his warehouse, Li Zuxun returned to the central hall with the support of his wife, where he met with many officials under his command.

Everyone had been waiting for them for a long time. When they saw Li Zuxun coming, everyone stood up and saluted. However, when they saw Cui next to him, displeasure flashed across their faces.

Mrs. Cui secretly remembered these people in her heart, but did not show them.

Li Zuxun gasped and struggled to sit on the upper seat.

He looked at everyone with a smile, "You are all anxious to see me, but what happened?"

"Prince Governor!! Liu Taozi rebelled against Qingzhou and Qingzhou officials fled, but were unable to enter the city. What's the reason?!"

You Changshi immediately asked.

Li Zuxun was stunned, stroking his beard, and said slowly: "The city gate tax is also set up to resist Liu Taozi."

"If we don't have money, how can we raise an army and attack Liu Taozi?"

"I have ordered the generals from various places to set up defenses near Jiaolai, dig ravines, and set up defensive horses, all in a steady stream."

"These tens of thousands of people are on the front line, and their daily food and drink expenses are sky-high. I am merciful, but I cannot force the people to continue paying taxes. Apart from the city gate tax, is there any other way?"

Everyone looked at each other, and Chang Shi said again: "Master Governor, Liu Taozi has captured the entire Qingzhou. The Governor has fled and has no intention of fighting anymore."
To be continued...