noveltune Chapter 84 Zhao Guang's Wrath
Chapter 84 Zhao Guang's Wrath
There is a fundamental difference between the prominent families in Yizhou and those in the Central Plains and Jiangnan.
The most crucial element is political influence.
The powerful families and influential clans of the Central Plains and Jiangnan had their protégés and former officials all over the country, giving them a strong voice in the central government. This was the foundation for their survival in the chaotic world.
The influence of the powerful clans in Yizhou was limited to Yizhou. Whether in the Eastern Han Dynasty or Cao Wei Dynasty, their power in the central government was weak, and they lacked the nationwide resources of the "Three Dukes and Nine Ministers".
Therefore, compared to the Central Plains and Jiangnan, the powerful families in Yizhou could at most be considered local strongmen.
Due to limited factors, the powerful clans of Yizhou were more concerned with protecting their own small territories in the chaotic world than with pursuing political ambitions of ruling the world together with the imperial power.
Therefore, it won't be easy for Liu Shan to get these local powerful families to return the food they've taken.
Qiao Zhou was the spiritual leader of the local powerful clans in Yizhou. If he were in charge of collecting grain, the local powerful clans would be much less obstructive.
However, less resistance does not equate to smooth sailing.
Although those local powerful families wouldn't defy the imperial decree, they did resort to shirking responsibility and passing the buck.
Zhao Guang followed Qiao Zhou and started by targeting the powerful local families in Chengdu. As long as they took the lead in returning grain, the powerful local families in other counties would not dare to disobey.
The Du family is one of the most prominent families in Chengdu, with a rich tradition of scholarship. Du Qiong, a member of the family, studied under the renowned scholar Ren An in his youth, where he learned and exchanged ideas with Du Wei and He Zong.
When Liu Zhang governed Shu, Du Qiong had already been appointed as an official in Yizhou.
After Liu Bei pacified Yizhou, he promoted him to the position of Consultant.
After Liu Shan ascended the throne, Du Qiong served as an advisor and was later appointed as the Left General of the Palace Guard, rising through the ranks in the court.
The reason for choosing the Du family, besides their prestige, was that Du Qiong, along with He Zong and others, jointly urged Liu Bei to continue the Han dynasty, making them one of the powerful figures who strongly supported the Shu Han group.
Originally, it was thought that they would cooperate actively, but Zhao Guang encountered a tricky problem in his first battle.
Du personally sent a steward to greet them, his smile warm and friendly, and he even prepared a banquet for Qiao Zhou and Zhao Guang.
Although Du's arrangements were respectful, Zhao Guang sensed something amiss.
Their enthusiasm and flattery were directed only at Qiao Zhou, showing no regard or respect for themselves as court officials.
Zhao Guang didn't pay much attention to it.
After all, Qiao Zhou's status in Yizhou was far higher than his own, so it was only natural that Qiao Zhou respected him and ignored him, a mere child.
"Zhao Guang has come for the sake of the country. His Majesty has strictly ordered us not to accept invitations to banquets, so there is no need for them. Please also trouble yourself to check this year's taxes and refund them to the people as soon as possible."
Zhao Guang's blunt refusal caused Qiao Zhou and the steward's expressions to freeze instantly.
"General Zhao, the Du family is a distinguished family and should be treated with courtesy. We have come here by imperial decree and should follow the host's lead, without disrespecting the court's etiquette or His Majesty's dignity."
Qiao Zhou spoke kindly and gently, and the person in charge was always smiling.
"The affairs of state are urgent and cannot be delayed. If Zhao Guang has offended anyone, please forgive him. If the steward can refund the taxes immediately, Zhao Guang will be extremely grateful and will host a banquet."
Seeing Zhao Guang's firm attitude, Qiao Zhou could only give an awkward smile, while the smile on the steward's face gradually disappeared.
Although he held no official position, he was backed by the Du family and would never take a mere Zhao Guang seriously. He immediately chuckled.
"Regarding taxes, the imperial court has always had laws and regulations, and we have all acted in accordance with them."
Zhao Guang held up the imperial edict and said, "This is His Majesty's edict. If you have any questions, you can take a look and you will understand."
The steward did not accept the imperial edict, but arrogantly cupped his hands and said, "Since it is His Majesty's decree, may I ask General Zhao, is it only aimed at my Du family?"
Zhao Guang said solemnly, "Steward, you are mistaken. The tax refund is a new policy of the imperial court. All officials and people within the territory of Yizhou should obey the order. It is not just for the Du family."
The steward's face immediately turned somewhat awkward, and he continued to deflect the matter, saying, "Such an important matter is beyond my ability to make a decision. I would like to ask General Zhao to personally explain it to the Left General."
"Where are your parents?" Zhao Guang asked.
"Going out on business."
"When will you return?"
"I do not yet know. If the Left General returns, I will certainly report today's events."
The steward originally thought that by saying this, he could send Zhao Guang, this young boy, away to collect taxes from other households.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Guang coldly sneered, "It's easy for the steward to refuse. If the Left General openly defies the imperial decree in front of me, I will naturally have to argue with him face to face."
"However, this is a decree of the imperial court, an imperial edict. How can you possibly make excuses here?"
A chilling murderous glint flashed in Zhao Guang's eyes as he said, "Do you all know that this is disobeying an imperial decree?"
Qiao Zhou, who had been watching the scene unfold, saw that things were getting out of hand and immediately stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "General Zhao, please calm down. You are an official appointed by the court, a general close to His Majesty. Why are you making things difficult for a mere steward?"
Zhao Guang realized that Qiao Zhou was just trying to smooth things over, and angrily said, "Qiao Zhou, you are the agricultural tax commissioner appointed by His Majesty. You should abide by the law and act according to the imperial decree."
"Since he is only a minor steward, he should obey the order immediately, instead of making excuses and openly defying it."
The steward suddenly sneered, "It's not that I'm disobeying the imperial decree, but this matter is of great importance, and we should first consult the Left General of the Central Army..."
"shut up!"
Zhao Guang roared, startling everyone around him.
Zhao Yun was known for his authority on the battlefield; whenever he was provoked, it was the final battle against the enemy general.
Zhao Guang was young, but he had inherited the true skills of his father, Zhao Yun.
"The steward is still spouting 'Left General' all the time." Zhao Guang held the imperial edict above his head and said, "This is an imperial edict. The steward has disobeyed the edict and deserves to be executed. Guards, seize him!"
"yes!"
Two soldiers from the Imperial Guard responded in unison, strode forward, and swiftly apprehended the steward, bringing him before Zhao Guang.
"This is the residence of the Left General of the Army, how dare you act like this..."
Before the steward could speak, a soldier from the Imperial Guard slapped him hard across the face.
The manager suddenly felt dizzy, his cheeks stung, a buzzing sound entered his brain, and his body swayed.
Just as he was about to say something, another slap landed on his other cheek, making him see stars.
Snapped!
A third slap followed immediately.
"No...no..."
Snapped!
Before I could finish speaking, I received another slap.
The steward hurriedly kowtowed.
If you don't kneel down and beg for mercy, you'll only get more slaps.
"Have you thought it through? Do you still want to consult the Left General?"
The manager quickly waved his hand.
He actually wanted to beg for mercy after the first slap, but Zhao Guang didn't give him a chance to speak.
Even though the steward had been beaten into submission, Zhao Guang still did not let him go.
"Guards! This man has openly defied the imperial decree and shown contempt for the Emperor. Execute him on the spot!"
Zhao Guang's words terrified the steward. Ignoring the pain in his cheek, he hurriedly shouted, "This is the residence of the Left General of the Army! If you dare to touch me, the Left General of the Army will not let you off!"
Zhao Guang snorted coldly and said, "Since entering the manor, I have already requested an imperial decree to inform you of my purpose. You only need to obey the decree."
"But you have repeatedly shirked your responsibilities and defied the law, which is an unforgivable crime."
"His Majesty has decreed that land rent and taxes should be paid equally to the imperial court, and anyone who disobeys will be executed."
"Let's do it."
Zhao Guang's words were reasonable and well-founded, and even Qiao Zhou could not find fault with them, so he could only watch helplessly.
After the knife in Yiweijun's hand flashed with a silvery-white light, a human head rolled on the ground.
Ah!
Qiao Zhou was a scholar and a great Confucian scholar. He had never seen such a bloody scene before. He immediately cried out and collapsed to the ground.
After a while, Qiao Zhou wiped his sweat with his long sleeves and stood up shakily.
"General Zhao, you are too reckless. This is the residence of Du Qiong, the Left General of the Household. Even the late Emperor respected and honored him for his talent."
Zhao Guang respectfully replied, "I dare not be disrespectful to the talent of the Left General of the Household, but the law of the land is merciless, so I can only be impolite."
This is not just rudeness, it's downright offending the entire Du family of Chengdu.
"Guards, who will accompany this general to the treasury to inventory the taxes and return them to the people?"
The head of the person in charge was still on the ground, blood seeping out, which terrified the others, who cowered and trembled.
"The Left General of the Central Army has ordered that if any officials from the imperial court come to collect taxes, they must be granted permission and must not be neglected."
An official strode over, which eased the tense atmosphere considerably.
Zhao Guang chuckled and said, "General Zuo, your information travels fast. In that case, why don't you come out to meet me?"
The messenger said unhurriedly, "The Left General is on official business elsewhere. Hearing that the court is coming to inspect taxes, he feared that his servants might not know the proper etiquette, so he specially sent me to inform you."
He glanced at the head of the person in charge on the ground and said without changing his expression, "It seems we are still a step too late. If I have offended the general, it is because I failed to discipline him properly, and I am willing to take full responsibility."
Excellent speaking skills!
Zhao Guang felt a chill run down his spine.
With just a few simple words, all the blame was placed on the dead man.
"Now that the person has been brought to justice, let's leave it at that."
Zhao Guang's task was to refund taxes; now that the objective had been achieved, there was no need to create unnecessary complications.
"Sir, please lead the way."
In less than half an hour, the Du family had calculated all the taxes that should be refunded.
Zhao Guang returned all the collected grain to the tenants, and the people sang his praises.
"Gentlemen, the court's new policies stipulate that all overpaid taxes this year will be returned in full. General Du Qiong, adhering strictly to the court's laws, has benefited the country and its people, and is a model for the court..."
Qiao Zhou watched Zhao Guang speak eloquently and was immediately puzzled.
He's clearly a military officer, yet he has such excellent eloquence.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that Zhao Guang was looking down at his palm.
It turns out they brought cheat sheets beforehand.
Qiao Zhou watched coldly, quite disgusted by Zhao Guang's behavior.
But at the same time, a cold sweat broke out.
Could it be that Zhao Guang's killing of people on Du's territory today was not a spur-of-the-moment decision?
If that's the case, then who taught it to you?
"The imperial court has recently established the Agricultural Tax Inspection Office. If anyone encounters any difficulties in the future, they can come to the Inspection Office."
"Officials from the Inspectorate will also make frequent visits to see what needs everyone has..."
Zhao Guang continued to peek at his cheat sheet as he spoke.
Not far away, a man stood outside the gate of the mansion.
"General, the imperial court established this Agricultural Tax Inspection Office because it fears retaliation from the gentry and that they will refuse to rent land to the common people."
The official bowed to Du Qiong.
"Is His Majesty's action a warning to us?"
Du Qiong watched the people cheering and jumping for joy, said nothing, silently shook his head, and went inside.