CHAPTER 326: CHAPTER 320: LIVELIHOODS ARE DIFFICULT

There were two urgent official documents, one urging Zhao Hanzhang to gather the military provisions promised to He Ci Shi, and the other pertaining to the taxes allocated to Ru Nan County this year.

The deadline for the taxes from Ru Nan County, as stipulated by Yu State, is set for the twelfth of next month.

Zhao Hanzhang frowned, and her expression grew even more serious upon seeing the tax requirements from each county.

At the end of the official document was a letter from Ji Yuan to Zhao Hanzhang.

The battle in Luoyang has been at a stalemate, and with the autumn harvest already begun, both Great Jin and the Xiongnu wish to conclude the war before the cold sets in.

Therefore, even Gou Xi, who had been idling on the battlefield, finally got serious and began efforts to force the Xiongnu to retreat.

Given that even Gou Xi, who had deep-seated grievances with Prince East Sea, took action, Yu State, being so close to Luoyang, could no longer act as a bystander. Whether for his own reputation and future or for the national interest, He Ci Shi had to deploy troops.

No troop movement can begin without provisions. To end the war before winter, enough provisions must be gathered before the autumn harvest ends.

Thus, the tax demands this time are heavy, yet the time given is extremely short, which essentially compels the people to their deaths.

However, if no troops are deployed and Luoyang is breached, not only Yu State but the entire Central Plains would be exposed to the Xiongnu cavalry, and if Great Jin falls, what would become of the people under Xiongnu control?

This is almost a deadlock, and for the first time, Zhao Hanzhang experienced the pressure of high leadership.

She sat in the fields, deep in thought, holding the official document and letter.

Fu Tinghan, who had come to experience such life with her by wielding a sickle and rolling up his trousers, quietly stood behind her, reaching for the official document in her hand. After skimming through it swiftly, he said, "The grain tax they demand could sustain an army of two hundred thousand for a month, and this is just the grain tax from Ru Nan County."

Zhao Hanzhang returned to her senses, frowned slightly, and tightly gripped the letter.

She turned her head to glance at the people harvesting rice in the fields. Though they claimed to be experiencing life, it was actually to understand this year’s autumn harvest in Biyang County as well as the current mindset of the people and their views on the government.

Because the county assistant had personally come for the autumn harvest with them, their faces were still filled with happy smiles. The bachelor retinue that came with Zhao Hanzhang didn’t seem like it was autumn, but rather spring. A few people with sickles followed far behind a young girl, cutting all the rice around her, leaving only a small patch for her.

The elders nearby teased, suggesting that the girl’s parents choose someone from the retinue to be a son-in-law, so they wouldn’t worry about a lack of labor for spring planting and autumn harvesting in the future.

The young girl blushed with embarrassment, while her parents seriously considered it, boldly sizing up a few in the retinue.

A few young men straightened their chests allowing themselves to be examined, with their earlobes tinged a bit red...

Zhao Hanzhang withdrew her gaze, contemplated for a moment, then said, "Send this official document out and inform each county that this year’s taxes will be collected at half the regular amount."

Ting He immediately went to the carriage to fetch the pen and ink box, taking out the writing instruments and placing the box on the ground for Zhao Hanzhang to use as a rest.

Since she always worked on the move, Ting He was accustomed to carrying pen, ink, paper, and inkstone with her. Fu Tinghan, noticing this, specially had a craftsman make a portable ink box for Zhao Hanzhang, which could contain a significant amount of official document papers, and when closed, could be used as a writing desk in front of her.

It was an essential item for working in the wild.

Zhao Hanzhang made annotations on the official document, stamped it with her seal, and handed it over to the messenger, saying, "This is an urgent document, deliver it to each county immediately."

The messenger acknowledged, and only then did Zhao Hanzhang begin to review other documents.

She handled them quickly. Mainly, under Ji Yuan’s requirements, the documents submitted by each county were concise, directly stating the reasons, with little room for literary flourish, thus making them very succinct.

Zhao Hanzhang read through them quickly, comprehending the issues, and could give her response with just a few strokes.

After finishing this batch of documents, Zhao Hanzhang pulled out a blank sheet of paper, contemplated for a moment, and then wrote a letter to Ji Yuan.

"The livelihood of the people is arduous. Although external threats are formidable, our unity is essential, but it is also necessary to discern internally whether all resources are genuinely invested in the national battle or if some are taking advantage."

Zhao Hanzhang sorrowfully wrote, "With Yu Yang as a past lesson, there are now signs of chaotic trends in Biyang. Other counties’ conditions might not be much better. I really do not wish to see internal strife erupt before the external enemy is cleared."

"The resilience of the Central Plains people is such that unless driven to extremes, they will not resort to rebellions and violence. So, sir, I do not wish to witness Ru Nan’s devastation. I ask for your assistance in overseeing it, as I will also be inspecting each county, negotiating with the authorities, to strive to afford the people a chance for survival..."

Zhao Hanzhang put the letter aside to let the ink dry, lost in thought sitting there, and before she realized, Fu Tinghan had also sat down on the field ridge. Seeing her blank expression, he said, "If you really don’t know how to write to Uncle Ming, why not just include copies of the two documents for him?"

Zhao Hanzhang gave Fu Tinghan an approving look, then she wrote down the general content of the two official documents, entrusting Zhao Ming to look after Xiping County, and to assist Ji Yuan by the way.

Writing the letter to Zhao Ming was straightforward enough; after all, it was just official rhetoric, stating she would do her best to gather the provisions, but also conveying that this year’s livelihood was difficult. During the summer taxes, Ru Nan County was already severely depleted, and now, each county within the jurisdiction showed signs of unrest, with many people fleeing Ru Nan County. It would likely be challenging to gather all the required taxes.

Zhao Hanzhang eloquently wrote a lot of evasive words, finally sighing as she said, "I hope next year there will be fewer wars, and more favorable weather conditions."

Fu Tinghan pressed his lips together, staying silent. If things were truly as she previously mentioned, with this era being prone to frequent natural disasters, hoping for favorable weather would be too challenging.

Zhao Hanzhang understood this too; hence she urgently pushed for the construction of water infrastructure in each county, even at her own expense with work-for-relief programs.

She could only hope that these water projects would have some use in the future, even if just a little, to somewhat alleviate the trend.

But putting aside natural disasters for the moment, human-induced troubles should be settled first.

Feeling a sense of urgency, Zhao Hanzhang decided not to linger in Biyang County. She directly appointed Liang Hong as the new County Magistrate, and for this, she specially gathered Li Tian, the squad leader called over, and Mr. Guo and Mr. Ma for a meal, with Liang Hong as the guest of honor.

At the banquet, Zhao Hanzhang personally poured wine for Mr. Guo and Mr. Ma, smiling as she said, "In the future, Biyang County will rely on Mr. Guo and Mr. Ma to assist County Magistrate Liang, and everyone working together to make Biyang County better and better."

Mr. Guo and Mr. Ma, well-informed as they were, mainly because Zhao Hanzhang was in Biyang County, knew as soon as the official documents were approved that announcements would be posted here.

The county government halved the tax requirement compared to what the documents stated, clearly reflecting Zhao Hanzhang’s intentions.

Regardless of any previous grievances they might have had with Zhao Hanzhang, this single act earned her their genuine admiration. Not everyone had the courage to defy the taxes designated by both the court and the Inspector Mansion.

Even though County Magistrate Hu was their friend, at this moment, they conceded that the change in county magistrate was a good one for Biyang County.

Both men sighed quietly, glancing at Li Tian sitting beside Liang Hong, knowing he was the backing Zhao Hanzhang provided for Liang Hong. Thus, they forced a smile, raised their glasses, and said to Zhao Hanzhang, "We are honored."