Time flies so fast, and I feel like spring has just robbed the grain and autumn has arrived again. Just so happens that all the "taxes" collected from Baishui last time were used to train new soldiers, and they have been exhausted. It is already an imminent matter to come out of the mountains to collect grain again.

Zhu Yuanzhang issued an order to prepare the soldiers. This time he asked the third team, fourth team, ninth team and tenth team to guard the village at home, and brought the old team and the second team, together with all the other teams.

There are already 1,400 total troops in the mountain village. After 400 people staying behind, they can still take 1,000 out. Every time they go out, the number of subordinates will increase by several hundred, which makes Zhu Yuanzhang feel very satisfied.

The peasant uprising is like a snowball. At the beginning, it grows slowly, but then it will rise faster and faster. It is like doing the multiplication problem. Two times two equals four, and then four times four becomes sixteen. As long as it continues to develop according to the current momentum, it is not difficult to build a huge army.

But Zhu Yuanzhang also knew that the more troops, the more they would attract the court's fear. Now he could settle in Huanglong Mountain, and no large-scale officers and soldiers came to encircle him. It was because of his small scale that the court's eyes were now focused on Wang Jiayin, Wang Zuogu, Guyuan rebels and others, and had not yet focused their attention on him.

This is the philosophy of life that Zhu Yuanzhang used in his previous life. Be low-key in life, because the guns hit the birds. During the peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, Zhu Yuanzhang and other heroes rose up, but the court never came to attack Zhu Yuanzhang. Instead, he picked Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang and beat him to death, giving Zhu Yuanzhang precious time to "storage grain and build high walls". Why is this?

The reason is that Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng were too arrogant. Chen Youliang's army was the most, and Zhang Shicheng proclaimed himself king. These were all acts of beating. As a result, they were really beaten. Although the Yuan court did not beat them to death, they dragged them back, which directly led to Zhu Yuanzhang coming from behind.

This time the morale of the army was much higher than last time. Because the first successful "tax collection" made the villagers and soldiers in the village gain confidence. It was not as difficult as they thought to collect taxes from wealthy families. The resistance from the government was not as strong as they thought. Going to Baishui to collect taxes was as easy as going home to go shopping.

So his army took light steps and quickly walked dozens of miles of mountain road from Huanglong Mountain to the border of Baishui. Just like last time, Zhu Yuanzhang first stationed the army in a ravine and asked them to hide it first. Then he took Ma Xiaotian and the two of them simply disguised themselves and blackened their faces, intending to go around twice to collect information.

Not fighting without intelligence is Zhu Yuanzhang's usual philosophy. If he can't even figure out how many garrisons in the city are, he will rush over to collect grain, and be careful that he will be beaten by others.

The two walked around the countryside and walked towards the city.

The Baishui in autumn is much more desolate than in spring. Because Zhu Yuanzhang visited here many times and took away a large population every time, the Baishui population was very small. Large areas of farmland were abandoned, nine out of ten houses were empty, no longer the same as before. After walking for a long time, they did not see a farmer. Several rich households stood up as usual, but the fields belonging to these rich people were also abandoned in large quantities. Fortunately, the rich people didn't care. Anyway, the year was not good, and they just harvested fewer crops for a few years. They neither had to pay taxes nor had rich savings. Moreover, many gentry were also doing business and doing business, so the drought had not had a great impact on them, and their lives were still good.

In Baishui City, it was exactly the same as when spring came. There were a few sick veterans at the city gate, standing listlessly. The Tongji Zhu Ba’s sea arrest warrant posted at the city gate was already yellow and tattered. The county master did not change it to a new one, so he let it be so rotten.

It seems that this city is still unprepared, and the court's reaction was much slower than Zhu Yuanzhang imagined. No army has ever been to Baishui so far, so he just lets him ask Baishui for it.

After a reconnaissance, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but sigh: "It can be seen from this place that our Ming Dynasty's administrative agencies have slowed down to some part of the territory... In this case, how can the country not perish?"

Ma Xiaotian couldn't quite understand and couldn't help asking, "Brother Zhu, are you saying that the Ming Dynasty is about to perish? This... I'm just joking. If we make such a fuss in the parable, can we ruin the Ming Dynasty? I seem to think it's impossible!"

"Tsk, what do you know?" Zhu Ba shook his head with a smile.

The two walked past Mr. Lu's door and saw that Mr. Lu's mansion was still standing there like when spring came. The difference was that when we came last year, there were a few archers on the wall. This time, we came, and there were no preparations on the wall. From a distance, the mansion was almost unprepared.

This is a very timid official. The last time he came to collect taxes, he left a deep impression on Zhu Yuanzhang. He couldn't help but walk over and knocked on the door of Mr. Lu's house a few times.

The door opened, and an old man stretched out his head: "Who?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled: "It's me, Baishui Zhu Ba, please tell your master a message. Zhu Balai will receive this year's autumn fu."

The old man was stunned, as if he was shocked, but he seemed to be mentally prepared. He didn't shout in fear, but murmured: "Ah, is it really here? The day before yesterday, the autumn is coming, Zhu Ba may be coming to collect autumn fu..."

The old man reported it in. After a while, Mr. Lu actually ran out with a big box, filled with silver.

"Mr. Lu, you are well-behaved." Zhu Ba smiled: "Why don't you prepare a servant? When you see me, you will quickly report to the officials and call reinforcements. Instead, you will pay taxes when you see me?"

Mr. Lu wiped his sweat and said with apologies: "How can this be... Master, you only charge me 150 taels of silver and left. I can still pay the money. If you go to report to the officials and dispatch officers and soldiers, you might ask me to pay 500 taels of military expenses, it would be impossible to pay. Look, I summoned a few township heroes last time, and this time I even withdrew the township heroes. I would need a lot of money to support and train the township heroes."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed in his heart. This person is quite interesting. In fact, this is the case with tax collection. The first time it is difficult. The second time, it is not difficult for others to get the habit of trading. The most important thing about human beings is to take the least of the two evils. When Zhu Ba came to collect taxes for the first time, he thought he was a big harm and would fight desperately. However, when he came back the second time, with the first experience, the gentry found that he, the mountain king, didn't harm people much... so he would pay taxes obediently, and the losses were relatively small.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the box and couldn't help but smile and said, "Yes, you are a person who knows the current affairs. I like to deal with people like you."

He was about to say goodbye and continued to walk towards the city when suddenly... On the official road in front of the mansion, a man ran over while beating the chuckling and shouting desperately: "Not good... there are bandits coming... a large number of bandits..."

Mr. Lu heard the man's roar, his face was a little embarrassed, and he wiped his sweat and said, "King, these guys are rare and strange. When he saw you yelling like a pig, I will scold you." After he greeted Zhu Yuanzhang, he quickly opened his throat to the person who ran to guard the clapper and said, "What are you yelling? King Zhu is standing beside me. How can I not know that he is here? He yells, it is rare and strange."

The yelling man was stunned when he heard Mr. Lu's words. He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang standing beside Mr. Lu, and was shocked and said, "Zhu Ba is here too? Oh my God! Is Baishui going to be finished?"

After he said this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Lu Yuanwai heard something was wrong at the same time. The two couldn't help but ask together: "What did you say? Zhu Ba is here? Who else is here?"

The person who sent the message shouted: "The King of Yichuan is here, and he has brought a huge band of bandits. Now the vanguard has reached not far from the city, and a bandit army will soon come... Mr. Lu, please escape quickly... This King of Zuogu is different from the King of Ba Zhu. He does not collect taxes, and whoever he catches and destroys whom..."

Whoever catches and destroys whom! In fact, this is the true nature of bandits. People like Zhu Ba who come to the door and knock on the door and collect personal income tax and leave, obviously are not competent bandits, but are evil ways of entering the profession of bandits.

When Mr. Lu heard this, his face changed suddenly. He started fighting with his legs, and his voice trembled: "The left hang of King Yichuan? That...that big bandit with more than ten thousand cavalry thieves? Oh my god...how did he come to Baishui? Someone...that...that...that's a horse for me, let's run away quickly..."

With his shout, the servants in Lu's mansion were also shocked, and suddenly they were in chaos and the servants ran around the yard.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked around and couldn't help feeling ridiculous. He was a bandit, and the other party was calm and calm as if nothing had happened. He came to Wang Zuo Gua. How scared he was? It seems... Zhu Ba's name is not as good as Wang Zuo Gua.

Wang Zuogu, a native of Qingjian County, was originally named Wang Zishun. In the first year of Chongzhen, he summoned tens of thousands of cavalry thieves to Longerzui in Yichuan, so he was called Yichuan Wang Zuogu. His subordinates include Miao Mei, Feishanhu, Dahonglang, etc., and were one of the famous early leaders in the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty. His name came out, and all the rich people in Shaanxi all changed their faces and had the miraculous effect of stopping children from crying at night.

Zhu Yuanzhang stretched out his hand, slapped Lu Yuanwai's shoulder heavily, and whispered: "Calm down! Don't be afraid! You paid taxes to me, and it's my people. With me here, no one can destroy your Lu family... Let me come and have a moment of Yichuan's left hang."

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang said this, Mr. Lu was surprised: "You protect me? You... are you still a bandit?"
Chapter completed!