Madam, She Has a Tender Heart - Chapter 458

Chapter 458 Pirates

Su Qingyu and Lu Bocheng saw that the Leshan village chief had some knowledge and his conversation was different from ordinary villagers, so they planned to ask him for some information.

 He took him to his own camp.

 First asked him about the fish tax, and then asked him about the villagers’ daily income sources and other matters.

After listening to what he said, Su Qingyu and Lu Bocheng had a general understanding of the situation in these fishing villages by the sea.

“Old man, how many villages like yours are there around here? How does everyone’s situation compare with yours?”

“Let me tell you, along this coastline, there are more than 20 large and small villages around our village. For generations, they have made a living by going out to sea to fish. We are relatively close to Haizhou, and we can survive the day. If we have to go down, life in the counties below Haizhou will be even more difficult.”

“A few years ago, we were the people of Dashuo. Dashuo had been recruiting soldiers for many years. In order to avoid military service, all the young and strong men fled south. Only the old, weak, women and children were left in the village. Originally, every family had a fishing boat, and everyone It was sold, and there were not many left.”

“Later, Dashuo fell, and we became subjects of the Liang Dynasty again. The Liang Dynasty rarely came to recruit troops from us, but the fishing tax was heavy. The catch we caught was not as much as what they paid. In the end, everyone They don’t want to go to the sea anymore.”

“But in the past two years, I heard that we have changed our masters again and have become the subjects of Zhenhai Jiedushi. In the past two years, fewer people have come to collect fishing taxes, and our lives have been a little better.”

“But now even if we transport the harvest to the city, we can’t get much money, and life has been so hard. Originally, our Haizhou harvest was abundant, and many foreign businessmen came to collect it, but later there were less. We I have no way to sell it, and I can’t sell it to other places, and it won’t be enough to be robbed by bandits on the road.”

After Village Chief Zou left, Lu Bocheng sat and thought about it for a long time, then called Qingyang and asked him to go to Haizhou to check the collection of fish taxes in recent years.

 When Dabao and Xiaobao heard this, they also wanted to follow. Lu Bocheng agreed.

The three uncles and nephews went to Haizhou Yamen with a few followers.

After the people left, Lu Bocheng called Pei Chi again.

Pei Chi has only followed his grandfather Pei Shi in these years, training beside him, and has no specific duties.

Pei Shi originally wanted to wait until he got married before asking Lu Bocheng for a job. So now he is still at ease.

 “Brother-in-law.”

Lu Bocheng agreed and said: “From now on, you will report to the Military Supplies Department of the army and be responsible for searching, collecting grain and supplies, collecting, deploying, and distributing military pay, etc.”

　　　Ah, why was he suddenly appointed? Could it be that my sister interceded with her brother-in-law? Look at Su Qingyu.

Seeing Pei Zhi’s confused look, Su Qingyu said: “Now the economic situation of the other states under your brother-in-law has improved, and each state has its own economic pillar industry. But in Haizhou, you also saw it when we came , the city can’t even match the 30% liveliness of Xuzhou.”

“Look at Nile Mountain again. Their catch is very good, but they suffer from no channels and no access. The fishermen on the seaside are still suffering from poverty. The tax revenue paid by Haizhou in the past two years is pitiful.”

Pei Zhi nodded. He has seen all these situations.

Haizhou is next door to Xuzhou. Every household in Xuzhou has a surplus of food, but the people in Haizhou don’t even have a single piece of clothing to cover their bodies.

 “What does brother-in-law need from me?”

Lu Bocheng said casually: “In the future, you will bring people to buy the fish caught in Haizhou from them and supply it to the army. Then we will cooperate with the Haizhou Yamen to build several post stations along the line between the two states, and open a seafood store in Xuzhou City and Haizhou.” The shop was opened in the name of the Military Supplies Department, and part of the marine goods collected were supplied to the army, and part of them were sold to foreign merchants, and the money earned was used as military pay. “

Pei Zhi understood. If they could buy fish from Haizhou fishermen on a regular basis every month, they would be able to live a better life soon.

 “Yes.” He responded loudly.

After Pei Zhi got this position, he immediately contacted Village Chief Zou. He also personally led people to select the seafood brought by nearby villagers, and asked Village Chief Zou and others for advice on how to distinguish the quality of the goods. After Qingxing found out, she came to see Su Qingyu.

“Sister, you and your brother-in-law entrust him with such a big task, can he do it well?”

 “Can’t you have some confidence in him?”

“I have confidence in him. But he has never done anything like this. He has never taken over the matter of money and food. I’m afraid that he won’t be able to do it, and it will delay my brother-in-law’s affairs.”

“No one is born with it. This matter affects the military and the people of a state. If done well, the economy of Haizhou, a large coastal state, will take off, and the taxes paid will also increase year by year. Your brother-in-law doesn’t have to worry about military expenses and the lives of the people in Haizhou.”

“Besides, it’s quite appropriate to leave this matter to Pei Chi. He is one of our own, and he won’t make small moves inside, form personal factions, etc., so your brother-in-law can worry less.”

Qingxing immediately patted her chest and said, “Brother-in-law, please don’t worry. Pei Zhi is one of our own. He will only be devoted to brother-in-law. If he does something inappropriate, I will not let him go.”

Su Qingyu couldn’t help but laugh.

“Okay, then you tell him to do a good job. When your brother-in-law came to Haizhou this time, he also saw that among the states, Haizhou’s tax revenue was at the bottom every year. He took advantage of the opportunity to visit in private. Otherwise, other states would be like this. Being rich, Duhaizhou suffers from poverty, and your brother-in-law feels uncomfortable too. “

“Sister, please rest assured, brother-in-law. I will let Pei Zhi do a good job.” After looking around, he asked, “Hey, where is my brother-in-law?”

“Your brother-in-law took people to check the surrounding area.”

Lü Bocheng came back in the evening and saw various sacks piled around the camp. Knowing that they were seafood collected today, he picked some up and opened them to take a look.

 See the quality is very good. When I asked, I didn’t spend much money and I was satisfied.

Su Qingyu gave him water to wash his hands and served him dinner: “Where have you been this afternoon?”

Lu Bocheng replied as he put rice into his mouth: “I looked at various fishing villages along the coastline. I also made inquiries privately to understand the situation.”

“If we want to vigorously develop the fishery in Haizhou, the environment must first be safe. In addition to the political clarity of the yamen, not being corrupt or arbitrarily charging fees, and not collecting some fish taxes arbitrarily, we must also ensure that there are no pirates to plunder.”

 “There are pirates?” Su Qingyu was stunned.

“There are bandits on the road, bandits in the mountains, and there are no pirates on the seaside. There are always some people who are idle and want to get something for nothing.”

“Then pirates are rampant? Are there many?”

“I asked Village Chief Zou and other villages that there have been fewer pirates in recent years. There are fewer people going to sea, and all the young men have been captured by the army. The fishing tax has also been harsh, and the catch has been small. There is no profit for the pirates. “But if we vigorously develop Haizhou’s fishery, I’m worried that pirates will come to rob the village again.”

“I have learned that these pirates seem to appear suddenly from the sea. No one knows where their base is. They not only rob ships at sea, but also rob nearby villages. After robbing, they flee into the sea. “

Su Qingyu frowned after hearing this. If pirates become rampant, even if the fishery is vigorously developed, it may not be possible.

 But we cannot let Haizhou continue to suffer from poverty just because we are afraid of pirates.

 “What are you going to do?”

 (End of this chapter)