Niu Bajin said: "Isn't that great? Why are you so anxious?"

Coyotito said: "But I heard him say that if the county chief wants food, the one he wants is your house!"

When Niu Bajin heard this, his mind buzzed! He immediately picked up the hoe on his shoulder and said, "Let's go! Go back and have a look!" After that, he led the four people and walked quickly towards the village.

The Grain Chief is a unique system of the Ming Dynasty. Because Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was born in poverty, he attached great importance to preventing officials from depriving and harming the people. Therefore, he specially designed the Grain Chief system.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the grain chief was elected by the township and appointed by the state and county governments. The grain chief's tasks included normal tasks and incidental tasks. The most important of the normal tasks was grain collection. In addition to completing this task, the grain chief's

The tasks include leading the villagers to open up wasteland, measuring the land, compiling the tax and tax albums and the fish scale atlas, advising the farmers to farm, supervising the farmers to pay the grain, and many other errands.

During the Hongwu period, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty even ordered the grain chief to report unjust local officials. This made the grain chief's power boundaries unclear and he had extra-legal privileges. Therefore, during the implementation of the grain chief system, the grain chief often expanded his powers and even abused them. For example

The Grain Chief had exclusive jurisdiction over the countryside and interfered in local affairs. So at that time, there were many people who were willing to be the Grain Chief.

Later, with the collapse of court regulations, the perpetual charge system was slowly replaced by the rotation charge system and the party charge system. On the one hand, there were more and more cases of fraud by the grain chiefs. When collecting grain, they had other hands and lined their own pockets. Not only did they collect excessive amounts,

It also embezzled public funds, causing difficulties between the upper and lower levels. Therefore, it was no longer of much use to the feudal government.

On the other hand, due to the increasing exploitation by officials and gentry, as well as the continuous concentration of land, especially the continuous increase in the number of exempted families, the owner-cultivators were unable to bear the huge taxes and fled one after another. Faced with the frequent shortage of land taxes in various places, the government

Naturally, the grain chief was ordered to make up for the tax. In this way, the grain chief could only use his own money to supplement the land tax, which would lead to bankruptcy. So at this time, people who used to like being the grain chief found it a hard job.

Rich families paid bribes to avoid being ordered to pay the grain chief. Those who could not afford the money had no choice. Gradually, the grain chief became the responsibility of the lower households. As a result, it became even more difficult for the government to collect all the taxes.

wait until

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the grain chief system became a convenient way for officials and gentry to rob the people. If they liked the property of a family, they would appoint him to be the grain chief. Rich and powerless families often had to go bankrupt to escape. And poor families

People are even more devastated. As long as they cannot pay taxes, they will be thrown into prison. When the person dies, the only land left in the family will be swallowed up by the officials and gentry. This is the situation that Niu Bajin's family is facing now.

When a group of five people returned to the village, they found a group of people gathered in the center of the village and talking about something. When they saw Niu Bajin and the five people coming back, they immediately surrounded them and started talking in all directions.

Niu Bajin was so noisy that he couldn't hear what they were talking about. He waved his hand and said: "Everyone, please stop making noise! ​​Old man Hu, you tell me!"

Old Man Hu was about the same age as Niu Bajin, and they were both childhood playmates. Old Man Hu stamped his feet and said, "Brother Bajin, that beast Guo Lezi came back just now and took away all the things in the house. But this

The bastard said that his sister has become a concubine for the new chief bookkeeper in the county. He said that he would come back to you for revenge after a while! He also said that this time the county wanted to ask for the grain chief, and he asked you to go by name. Brother Bajin, you have to hurry up.

Think of a way! You can't afford this grain!" As soon as Old Man Hu finished speaking, everyone started talking again. In short, the idea was to ask Niu Bajin to find a way quickly, and he must not let the county order the grain.

Long! Once you become the grain chief, your family will be ruined!

Niu Bajin asked: "How long has Guo Lezi been gone?"

Old Man Hu said: "About a moment or so."

Niu Bajin then asked: "How many people are here?"

Old Man Hu said: "He's the only one. I guess he came to pack things while everyone was in the fields."

Niu Bajin immediately said: "Boss, you take the second and third sons to chase Guo Laizi and bring him back. If you don't catch him when you get to the place where the toad is squatting, forget it, you will come back."

The boss Niu Mantun promised me and ran out with his two younger brothers. After a while, the three of them came back empty-handed. It seemed that they had not caught up. The villagers saw that the three of them had not caught up with Guo Laizi.

Slowly spread out.

When the three of them returned home, Niu Bajin had already prepared the meal. The four father and son began to sit at the table to eat. It was not a busy time for farming, and there was no cooking.

A pot of porridge and pickles.

The boss, Niu Mantun, held a bowl and said, "Dad, what should we do with the little grain?"

Niu Bajin sipped the porridge and said, "What can we do? Just wait."

The second eldest son, Niu Mancun, changed his expression and said, "Dad, we can't wait for this! If we really order the grain, our family will be ruined. Our little family foundation is not enough!"

Niu Bajin put down his bowl and said: "How many years has it been since the county had no grain? Let's eat your food. Why are you so anxious? Maybe there is no such thing at all. It's just what Guo Lezi said casually to scare us. In two days

After God has finished the work in the fields, I will go and inquire."

After hearing this, the eldest child and the second child looked much better and started to eat silently. Only the third child, Niu Mangu, drank the porridge heartlessly and ran off to play.

In the next few days, there was no news about the grain manager. There was no news in the petition hall. The Niu family and the villagers gradually became relieved, thinking that it might be Guo Laizi who was telling nonsense.

human.

More than ten days later, shortly after the Niu family and his son went to the field, Coyotito stood on the edge of the field and called to them. He shouted: "Uncle Niu, you guys come back to the village quickly! Someone from the county came and said he wanted to read the list.

Wen called for you by name!"

Niu Bajin's heart was agitated, and he thought, could it be true that he ordered the grain to grow? He called his three sons and walked quickly to the village.

When I returned to the village, I saw that the people in the village were gathered under the big tree in the center of the village. Seven or eight officers were sitting on the stone benches under the tree, drinking tea. There was also a man who was not wearing official uniform among them.

Man. This man is Guo Lezi.

When the Niu family father and son approached the crowd, the crowd suddenly dispersed. Looking at everyone's gaze, Niu Bajin felt that something bad might really be coming!

Sure enough, as soon as Niu Bajin stood in the middle of the crowd, a guard stood up and said, "Are you Niu Bajin?"

Niu Bajin nodded and said: "Old man, I wonder what the officer's orders are?"

The head of the police force said with a smile: "The county magistrate was very dissatisfied with last year's grain collection! So we must collect it carefully this year! I heard that you are right in this area, so the grain chief specially ordered it."
Chapter completed!