Protect Our Chief

Chapter 1042 - 64: Winds Rise in the Upper Capital! Shouzhe Is Doomed

But precisely because they spend their days struggling at the grassroots level, directly confronting the most fundamental aspects of society, they are constantly in contact with people from all walks of life, and they always have some secret channels of information, often displaying keen instincts.Some skilled traveling merchants, purely in terms of instinct, are not inferior to the shopkeepers of some formal trading companies.

Considering the entire Longzuo County, Changning Guard is undoubtedly the place with the most money-making opportunities, and among them, Ping’an Town and Xin’an Town are the richest.

The bulk of the Wang Family’s goods procurement comes from Qiaan’s Trading Company, which is highly skilled in land logistics. In contrast, the procurement of small expensive goods is managed through Shouda Trading Company.

Yet, even so, countless traveling merchants have sniffed out business opportunities.

The Wang Family’s appetite for various seeds, metals, high-quality timber, rare ores, oils, and other quality raw materials is almost insatiable.

Although Qiaan’s Trading Company and Shouda Trading Company cover the vast majority of demand, they ultimately cannot lick the bowl completely clean. The traveling merchants, on the other hand, excel at delving into the bottom market and uncovering fragmented transactions at the grassroots level.

They scour society’s lower tier for resources required by the Wang Family and then transport them to Ping’an Town for handsome profits. With this "relationship," they purchase some of the Wang Family’s specialty products and continue to cater to their fragmented market at the base level. Quite a few traveling merchants have become wealthy, expanding their operations.

The Wang Family also intentionally or unintentionally supports some outstanding traveling merchants to fill the resource gap caused by the increasing demand for raw materials. Thousands upon thousands of traveling merchants, like diligent ants, scour for resources and transport them little by little to the Wang Family.

The volume each time is not large, but the aggregated total resources become very substantial.

Among the numerous traveling merchants passing by, there were an old and a young traveling merchant. They were new to the trade, yet they were very familiar with the Wang Family’s needs.

They had a shabby carriage loaded with the rough iron ingots most desired by the Wang Family, along with high-quality fabrics, musk, and refined carbon, which are all in demand in the territory governed by the Wang Family.

With appropriate goods, they declared their goods, verified their identities, and quickly passed through the checkpoints set up by the Wang Family, obtaining temporary passes for Ping’an Town and Xin’an Town.

Afterwards, the two, like other traveling merchants, took a ferry to Ping’an Town.

The shabby carriage slowly moved on Ping’an Town’s wide and smooth roads, away from the sharp-eyed Wang Family Generals who seemed to scrutinize everyone as if interrogating criminals. The two traveling merchants, one older and one younger, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As they drove the carriage and looked around, they seemed to be enjoying the sights of Ping’an Town, which were different from those in other places.

One of the younger traveling merchants could not help but ask, "Master, I’ve heard that the Wang Family now dominates Longzuo County, and today’s experience seems to confirm it. Even the passes are unique. Is it dangerous for us to conduct this undercover investigation?"

"I heard that there have been instances in the past where tax officers conducting covert investigations met mysterious deaths in the region."

"Rest assured, with the daily flow of traveling merchants to and from Ping’an Town reaching at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, there’s no way they can clear up everyone’s origins. Besides, our disguised identities are genuine and reliable, with high security."

"Moreover, the tax evasion methods of the noble families are none other than those. I’ve been a tax officer for so many years, and these matters are crystal clear to me. I guarantee that we’ll have definite success in uncovering them. Before long, we can accomplish our mission and withdraw safely."

Upon hearing this, the young man immediately perked up, pestering his teacher to explain the various methods used for tax evasion by noble families.

The seasoned tax officer, beset by the young man’s insistence, had no choice but to explain.

"First, there’s ’Hiding Land within Acreage.’ Explained the tax officer disguised as an old traveling merchant, ’This method is quite simple. You only need to relax your hands for a few feet during land measurement, and you can record an acre and a tenth as just one acre, thus ’hiding’ that tenth. In this way, whether it’s a thousand or ten thousand acres, the amount of hidden land becomes considerable—this is ’Hiding Land within Acreage.’ And since this hidden land is not counted in the measured land, it naturally doesn’t have to be taxed.’

In the early stage of land reclamation, the noble families’ prestige in the local area is extremely high, and local government offices often turn a blind eye, making this quite easy to accomplish.

’There is a simple method to address this situation: remeasure the land. This time, I brought along the Engineering Department’s latest ’portable measuring stick,’ which allows for precise measurement of acreage. Once we’re on-site, we’ll secretly conduct measurements to determine if the Wang Family has engaged in ’Hiding Land within Acreage.’ Once we report this up the chain, a thorough recheck by the Three Ministries will definitely force the Wang Family to disclose all their hidden land.’

"Second, there is the ’Delayed Cultivation Method.’ The old tax officer obviously had extensive experience and explained these matters with clarity, step by step, ’This method is also simple: falsely report the time during land reclamation.’

’For example, on a piece of land, reclamation could be completed within five years, making it cultivatable. However, instead of reporting it, the noble family might delay twenty years before registering the land. Coupled with the fifty-year tax exemption period after registration, this effectively results in an additional twenty years of tax-exempt time.’