The north wind blows the white grass and turns the ground, and snow falls in August.

Although Cen Shen's poem is a bit exaggerated, the northern part of the Central Plains has a little cold winter after entering mid-to-late October. This year's winter comes earlier than before. It's just half past October, and the area around Daming Prefecture is already cold and the red clouds are over the city. It seems that this first snow will come soon.

However, compared with the harsh climate, what makes people feel even more heartbreaking is the government's levy and heavy taxes. Today, the Daming Mansion in Beijing in the Song Dynasty is full of sorrow, and countless people are crying and helpless in their homes, because in the past two days, the government has imposed several heavy taxes on them and stipulated that if the tax cannot be paid in full before the end of this month, then wait for the whole family to enter the cell and be sent to the exile.

All of this comes from an order from Liang Zhongshu, who stayed in the Daming Mansion. He needs to loot more than 100,000 yuan of money to Tokyo within this month and send it to his father-in-law, the current prime minister and grand tutor Cai Jing's mansion. Only in this way can he make up for the mistake of not being able to send gifts to his father-in-law in the past two years.

The confidants around Liang Zhongshu still have some opinions on this, but most people dare not be so bad that they really ran to him to advise. Only the two men who were most trusted by Wen and Wu dared to give some advice. Wu's is naturally Suo Chao, while Wen's think tank Shi Yan around him.

Today, the two of them came to see Liang Zhongshu again, hoping that he could take back his life and not add to the burden on the people. But no matter what they said, Liang Zhongshu was still unmoved and even said with a stern face: "Suo Chao, Shi Yan, you two don't have to persuade you anymore. I have made up the idea and will not change it at will. And I also believe that in this Daming Mansion, I can still make up the 100,000 chunks of money I need as much as possible."

Shi Yan and Suo Chao looked at each other, and then said bitterly: "What my husband said is naturally the truth. As long as we forcefully collect it, we can naturally squeeze out 100,000 or more money with the foundation of our Daming Mansion. I also know why my husband does this. If you have any difficulties this year, I am afraid that it will not be easy to speak in front of the Grand Tutor. But... In this way, many people will be desperate. If they are forced to lose their way and become refugees, then what should we do next year's population decline sharply? My husband can't just focus on the present moment and ignore the long-term?"

"Yes, my husband, this matter needs to be discussed for a long time. But I heard that many brothers in the military camp complained because their family was exploited. Although they could still suppress them for a while, if something really makes a mistake, I'm afraid..." Suo Chao was not as good as Shi Yan, so he could only persuade him according to his wishes.

"Hmph, what's the use of just some untouchables? Do you think I am really not prepared?" Liang Zhongshu was confident: "I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. I also know that such a hard tax increase may not be able to make a lot of money from these ordinary people, so I did this to force them away. As long as they were forced to leave the territory of our Daming Mansion regardless of the laws of the court, their fields and real estate could be filled into the government.

"In addition, the three major families in the city, Xu Liu and Jia, have already made a secret with me. As long as I can force these people who occupy the land to leave, they will pay a high price to buy all the land and real estate. In this way, it will not only solve the money problem, but also give the government an additional investment. Why don't I do it?"

The two of them were really stunned. Unexpectedly, as close friends, I didn't know that my husband had such an arrangement. But then, Shi Yan said anxiously: "What about the future? Once the people escape, the fields will be deserted..."

"This is even more not a problem. Now that our Song Dynasty official army has captured the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, it will not take long before the court will transport the soldiers and horses from the south to those cities. At that time, as long as I make a little trick, I will naturally let the people stay in my Daming Mansion and fill the previous losses. I believe that with my Daming Mansion, the location of my Daming Mansion will always be much stronger than the bitter and cold land in the border, right?

"So you two don't have to worry about anything more. I have arranged everything and I can just wait for the end of the month to send 100,000 yuan of money to Tokyo, and I will give it to Lord Taishan before the New Year."

This time, the two of them really had nothing to say, and they could only sigh and silently retreat. After all, one of them was just a military general and the other didn't even have the official position, so how could they have the courage to sing a rebellion with Liang Zhongshu? Moreover, it was not the two of them who were really suffering. They were just doing their duties as subordinates.

As even the last two persuasions did not dare to speak out, the government naturally became more and more unscrupulous. Every day, you could always hear the crying in the city, and countless people were trapped in desperate situations.

Wu You, who was guarding the north gate, was one of them. Although he also had a team position in the army, it was really nothing in Daming Mansion. So when the government sent someone to his house to seek property, otherwise he would have to take his father to prison, he was powerless and could only raise it from multiple sources and try his best. But until today, half of the 15-chariot heavy tax sent by the government had not yet been settled, which made him feel very worried and depressed for several days.

"Angkor, I still have half a batter of money here, you can take it first." At noon, a brother in the army suddenly found him and handed a string of copper coins into his hands. However, Wu You was obviously stunned: "Brother Wang, your family is the same as me, why do you have money to help me?"

"My parents and two younger brothers have decided to escape from the city tomorrow, and I will leave together..." Brother Wang immediately lowered his voice and said, "I can't live here, so I can only go elsewhere."

"You..." Wu You wanted to say something, but he was a little speechless. Finally, he could only sigh: "Now the treacherous ministers in the world are in power, and there are corrupt officials everywhere, so where is it different."

"There is always a place to go. I heard that the taxes in the cities in the north that had just been seized from the Liao people were extremely light, less than 30% of the place we were here. If there was no place to go, I would go there."

"Are you the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun?" Wu You's eyes were full of envy: "Everyone carried one head on both shoulders and was a soldier. Why don't we have such luck to make achievements but have to be so pickled here?"

"Yes, if we could go to the north like those soldiers to fight against the Liao people and the Jin people. Even if we die, we would be a hero who can be remembered..."

Just as these two little people lamented that they had bad luck, a young man suddenly ran from afar. He saw Wu You talking under the city wall from afar, and said loudly: "Brother, it's not good. Something happened at home. The person who came to charge taxes in the government just injured his grandfather..."

"What?" Wu You saw the person coming, and when he heard his words, he suddenly became trembling with anger: "Is he a member of the government office?"

"That's right, there is also the second brother. They also took it away, saying that he injured someone... But the second brother obviously went to pull someone because he saw the grandfather being injured by them, so he was knocked down and tied up..." When the old man said this, he was so anxious that he almost burst into tears: "Brother, think about a solution quickly."

"It's so damn!" Wu You roared at that time, his teeth creaked, and immediately gave birth to a knife, killing those things that were dependent on their power, so that they could know how powerful they were.

"Angkor, don't do anything random..." Brother Wang, who was standing beside him, became nervous when he saw this, quickly stepped forward and grabbed him: "We are all small people, how can we fight over the government office? Or, or we will ask General Suo again, he always respects you and may speak justice for you."

"Hmph, General Suo has always been steady, how could he stand up for someone like me? As a son of man, I can only let my father and brother be humiliated and injured. It's really..." Wu You said, and after a struggle, he was about to rush forward. Suddenly, a scream came from the top of the city above: "What is that? Why are so many soldiers and horses coming?"

At this time, Wu You was completely occupied by anger, and he couldn't even care about his own responsibilities. He immediately strode forward. But the screams behind him became louder and louder: "A cavalry came over, and the top was still under the banner. What was it written on it?"

"For the country to eliminate thieves and clear the emperor, the soldiers of the Song Dynasty should be self-improvement!" Finally, a literate man suddenly started to scream. When this was heard by Wu You, who was about to run, his movements suddenly stopped, and even more light flashed in his eyes.

At the same time, a voice came from outside the city: "I am Han Tao, the vanguard of the thief army. Now, the soldiers guarding the city quickly opened the city gate and followed us to kill the traitors and clear the king's side!"

As soon as this majestic and domineering voice came, the people and soldiers in the city were stunned on the spot, and the more than a hundred soldiers who were responsible for defending the city were completely unaware of what to do. Why did the thief attackers appear? What do they mean by what they said to be clearing the king? But there is one thing that everyone still knows. General Sun is the most amazing hero in the Song Dynasty today, so his soldiers and horses are naturally all heroes.

But when the city gate opened and they were letting them in... Just as everyone was still struggling and some people were wondering if they should report to the left-behind mansion, a voice sounded from the base of the city wall below: "Open the city gate and welcome the thieves into the city! Those corrupt officials should also pay the price!" But Wu You suddenly turned around and issued an order.

Wu You has always been loved by everyone among the guards of the city gate here. When he heard his words, the soldiers below naturally stepped forward and opened the city gate and put down the suspension bridge that had just been put away.
Chapter completed!