CHAPTER 291: CHAPTER 11: THE BLOODY HEAD TAX

"Head tax?" Yue Jinghua was first taken aback, then looked towards Hong Yao with an inquiring gaze.

When it came to the Empire’s taxation affairs, Hong Yao was much more informed than her, but even Hong Yao displayed a puzzled expression this time.

Hong Yao was proficient in various economic affairs; she was extremely familiar with the tax regulations issued by the Ministry of Revenue.

Although the Dragon War Empire and Shang Kingdom were different countries, both had developed tax systems, including land taxes on property transactions and excise taxes on goods transactions, as well as feast taxes and vehicle taxes on celebratory and mourning occasions. Apart from the national tax codes, certain places, especially major towns where the labor guilds were located, would also charge a certain fee to passersby. However, in any location, Hong Yao had never heard of a head tax.

"Let me explain," Teng Wu weighed his options and then abandoned the idea of remaining uninvolved.

In addition to feeling genuine admiration for Yue Jinghua’s resolute and decisive style of handling affairs, he also understood that Yue Jinghua, with the support of people like Shalman and Hong Yao, would definitely cause a significant sensation in the Dragon War Empire soon.

The declining Blood Cherry Duke Mansion might shine anew because of the young lady before them.

And Miss Yun Luo, by sticking with this group, might learn a lot and even curb her habits of luxury and extravagance. Considering this, Teng Wu smartly refrained from mentioning leaving Fengdan County again, and Yue Jinghua behaved as if the earlier incident had never happened.

That’s the advantage of collaborating with intelligent people—understanding without the need for words.

"The head tax is a special tax imposed on the people of Fengdan County. This tax is not an imperial levy but rather forcedly collected within Fengdan County by Viscount Mo’er, the lord of the neighboring Bailu County. Last year, I went there with a merchant caravan, and while resting in the villages, I heard the elderly speak of it," Teng Wu had seen this unequal tax burden during his business travels.

"Why should a viscount impose a tax on Fengdan County? Doesn’t the Imperial Tax Officer intervene strongly?" When Yue Jinghua heard this, she was infuriated. What kind of situation was this? Even a lowly viscount dared to impose taxes privately. It was said that the Dragon War Empire governed with strict discipline, and military and legal orders were paramount, but it now appeared otherwise.

"Viscount Mo’er’s father-in-law is an official in the Ministry of Revenue. Furthermore, Fengdan County is located south of Xuanshou Mountains, almost isolated from the main territory of the Dragon War Empire. The adjacent Shang Kingdom is a small country with a secretive regime, and the Imperial Army does not station forces there. Those indolent Imperial Tax Officers, after receiving the annual taxes from the feudal territories, would not bother crossing mountains and forests to inspect the actual tax conditions here," said Teng Wu, pulling out a detailed topographic map.

On this map marked with ’Yunhu,’ neighboring key locations were outlined with gold lacquer, cinnabar, and charcoal.

Through Teng Wu’s explanations and descriptions, Yue Jinghua and the others quickly understood the unique circumstances around Fengdan County.

Three years ago, after the decline of the Blood Cherry Duke Mansion, the County Guard Army stationed around Fengdan County had also disbanded spontaneously due to unpaid grain debts.

The mountains surrounding Fengdan County made it difficult to build county walls like other counties, and the Beast Defense Wall built in earlier years had collapsed significantly due to the pressure from several heavy snowfalls.

With the scarcity of stones in the mountains and no funds from the Lord Mansion to repair the walls, the barriers meant to protect against the beasts from the mountains were almost completely destroyed.

Fengdan County, lacking the County Guard Army, was often harassed by middle and low-level Dark Beasts from the Xuanshou Ridge. For the safety of the people, the Lord Mansion at the time sent for help from Bailu County, which was separated from them only by a lake.

In earlier years, Viscount Mo’er of Bailu County was drinking buddies with Duke Xue Ying at Wo Hua Imperial City. After receiving a perilous report, Viscount Mo’er initially responded amicably, immediately dispatching troops to exterminate the Xuan Beasts.

However, once they drove the Xuan Beasts out of Fengdan County, Viscount Mo’er’s troops demanded the payment of head tax.

"This so-called head tax means taking one out of every ten people. In Viscount Mo’er’s lord army, there are many ferocious Xuan Beasts that delight in consuming fresh human flesh. However, they are reluctant to use their own citizens as beast fodder, thus turning their attention to defenseless Fengdan County," Teng Wu also witnessed this utterly inhumane head tax during a business trip.

For driving away a single Xuan Beast, ten living people are used as compensation; just last year, nearly a thousand citizens were handed over in Fengdan County as head tax.

With severe cold this winter and longer-than-usual blizzards causing a general failure of crops, the Xuan Beasts trapped in the mountains by the heavy snow and lacking food, frequently attacked, resulting in over a hundred deaths among the people, coupled with the head tax, leaving Fengdan County at the end of its tether.

The citizens pledged for head tax, the robust ones were sent to become slaves, while the elderly, weak, and sick were directly thrown to the Xuan Beasts for feeding.

When the Lord Mansion of Fengdan County refused to hand over people, Bailu County’s army intermittently dispatched Xuan Beasts into the mountains, preying on people forced out by the famine, savagely devouring them alive.

"It’s too cruel; we should devise a way to deal with them, some people just freed these men," Yun Luo glared at Yue Jinghua, implying all the atrocities of Bailu County were brought about by Yue Jinghua.

"Miss, I’ll go and kill them," Hongling, with a face flushed with anger, straddled her bow and arrow, eager to chase after the fleeing henchmen of Bailu County.

"Kill? Kill what?" Unlike everyone else’s righteous indignation, Yue Jinghua, after listening to the narration, calmed down considerably.

"Miss, obviously the people of Bailu County, they act recklessly under the protection of the Duke Mansion and oppress the local populace. If they don’t see blood, they won’t learn their lesson," Hongling and the others uniformly responded, even Lie Rou uniquely held back from stopping them.

Most present were the beloved children of Dragon Battle, their blood not frozen by the bitter cold, on the contrary, each of them was eager to quickly eliminate Viscount Mo’er and his minions.

"How many of you are there? How many are in Bailu’s County Guard Army? You stand on the territory of the Dragon War Empire, under heaven, it all belongs to the emperor. Longzhan Country protocol dictates, ’Noble dignity is sacred and inviolable, those who defy authority kill one to warn a hundred. Unjustly attacking another’s feudal territory will result in the execution of nine generations of the offender’s family.’ Before you kill Viscount Mo’er, Fengdan County would first be flattened by the Imperial Army," Yue Jinghua admonished sharply, her voice booming like thunder, leaving everyone momentarily speechless.

"So, are we just letting it go?" Yun Luo muttered from the side, suggesting are we to let these poor people of Fengdan County be butchered again and again?

"Let it go? Hmph, blood debt to be paid in blood. What is this head tax? I will count one as ten; however many citizens Fengdan County has lost, I will have Bailu County pay back tenfold. What of the national rule? Above, there are national decrees, below, there are exhortations from the former emperor: ’Any lord of Dragon Battle, in the event of foreign invasion, must prioritize the protection and safety of the army and people, regardless of rank, military position, or status – whoever violates my territory, kill!’" Yue Jinghua concluded, clenching her fists tightly, producing a "clicking" noise as if grinding meat.

"Let the long line catch the big fish, I am waiting for that group of people to willingly deliver a big gift to me," At this moment, everyone standing beside Yue Jinghua sincerely felt a bone-chilling cold emanating from her.

Only Erwang, standing close to Yue Jinghua, looked up at her with admiration. For the first time in his life, his slender body surged with emotion, like a lost child returning to a mother’s embrace, a drifting ship finding a safe harbor.