Chapter 908 - 234: Gaining the Treasure Medicine, Targeting the Wolf Smoke Realm
Moreover, just these days, after Huangzhou Prefecture had a change of officials, Wang Baobao finally learned about the current situation of Huangzhou Prefecture.
It could be said to be utterly disastrous.
Out of the eight counties in Huangzhou Prefecture, nearly all have encountered issues, and they’re major ones at that.
In Huanggang County, the populace refused to pay taxes and clashed with government soldiers, involving nearly a thousand people, with over fifty soldiers killed. Tensions were high among the people of Huanggang County.
In Macheng, when the soldiers went to collect taxes, they reached a village only to find it completely deserted, transformed into a ghost village. When asked where the people went, they frankly replied that they had fled into the mountains to live as wild people. When soldiers asked, "Aren’t you afraid of the ferocious tigers in the mountains?"
The answer was: "Tyranny is fiercer than a tiger!"
In Huangpo County, the populace rose up with swords, taking land for themselves, forming a stronghold with hundreds from a village, armed to resist the tax collectors, their sentiments ablaze.
In Yong’an County, villager Wang Datou refused to pay taxes and was captured by government officials to stand in the cage at the government office’s entrance. His son Wang Er gathered over five hundred villagers to surround the county government, prompting the County Magistrate to come out personally to apologize and release Wang Datou, thereby calming the incident.
...
In Mianshui County, the County Darugachi Yelu Feng ate a raw fish, poisoned and died...
After Wang Baobao finished reading the genuine reports from his subordinates, his scalp tingled all over, deeming Magistrate Chu Feng utterly detestable. He actually held back all these local reports, some even intentionally caused by him.
For instance, in Huangpo County, the County Magistrate reported to Huangzhou Prefecture that the villagers couldn’t bear the tax burden. If taxes were forcibly collected, they might have to hand over their seed for spring sowing next year.