OBS Chapter 716 Breakthrough
Chapter 716 Breakthrough
Han Qi was stunned for a moment, then took out the order from Prince Rui from his arms.
"Commander-in-Chief, this is Prince Rui's order. Please read it before you speak."
Lin Feng waved his hand: "Don't give it to me, just show it to the people."
Han Qi was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Lin Feng, not knowing what to say.
He knew in his heart that if Lin Feng was not there, it would be of no use even if he, the prime minister, went to the provincial government office in person.
It's better if you give money as a gift, but if you ask for money, I'm afraid no one will pay attention to you.
After thinking for a long time, Han Qi refused to give up.
"Commander-in-Chief, if you can attach a warrant, I will go to the provincial government office to convey the order. You don't need to be present in person."
Lin Feng laughed: "Prime Minister, what a joke! I'm the commander of the Imperial Guards, and I'm ordering the state to pay taxes? It's completely unrelated."
Han Qi frowned and said, "Commander-in-Chief, you were the one who promoted and appointed these provincial officials. If you don't speak, how can they listen?"
Lin Feng suddenly realized, "Yes, I forgot that you, the Prime Minister, are in charge of the court officials. So, you can go directly to the provincial capital to collect taxes. If anyone disobeys your orders, you can simply remove them and replace them."
Han Qi was stunned again.
How could he have such ability? The war had caused chaos among people in various places. The original officials had disappeared and were now all Lin Feng's men.
Did he evacuate them?
I guess he would be killed before the official was even removed.
Han Qi was helpless and weighed the imperial edict and Prince Rui's order in his hand.
"Commander-in-Chief, these are all given to you. How do you expect me to do them?"
Lin Feng waved his hand: "You can leave this to me. This commander also accepts it. However, taxation is not the business of my Imperial Guards. I have to trouble the Prime Minister to do it."
Lin Feng is the main one, you can say whatever you want, but if you want me to speak, no way.
At this point, the negotiations broke down.
Han Qi was at a loss and could only get up and say goodbye.
The imperial edict and warrant were not left to Lin Feng, so it would be useless to leave them, so it would be better to keep some evidence for himself.
He returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion in Kyoto City, spread out the information of the seven prefectures on the desk, and carefully thought out a solution.
After a while, a smile appeared on his face.
"Someone, go and inform Lord Lin Cangshi to come here to discuss matters."
The Prime Minister summoned him, and the Minister of Revenue Lin Cangshi came quickly.
"Sir, what do you want from me?"
As soon as he entered the door, Lin Cangshi asked.
"Well, it's like this. The Emperor wants to collect taxes from previous years, especially from the seven prefectures in the northwest. The imperial edict has been issued, and someone needs to do it..."
Lin Cangshi originally thought that the Prime Minister was looking for him for some good news, but when he heard it was this, he immediately looked sad.
"Sir, it's not that I don't want to go. Taxation is my duty. But you also know that it would be useless for those prefectures and counties to go. They have a thick stack of IOUs in their hands. They are all left over from the Imperial Guards' wartime food and fodder collection. The national treasury is empty, and these IOUs cannot be cashed, let alone the taxes."
Han Qi's face darkened: "Aren't there still wealthy prefectures and counties?"
"Rich? Haha, sir, everyone knows that the wealthy counties now are all Lin Feng's territory. The emperor is also clear about it."
"Nonsense, could Lin Feng be above the imperial court?"
Lin Cangshi spread his hands and said, "Of course not. As long as you and Lin Feng have agreed, I will go and collect the taxes immediately."
Han Qi said nothing and stared at him.
Lin Cangshi smiled bitterly and said nothing, knowing that the Prime Minister had hit a snag.
The two men were like fighting cocks, stunned for a long while.
Han Qi knocked on the table: "There is a breakthrough here, think about it."
Lin Cangshi leaned over and looked at the papers on the desk.
"Wu Ruolin, the prefect of Jingxi Prefecture, is the only one who has not been replaced by Lin Feng. He is a Jinshi in the second year of Dazong. He should be loyal to the court. You can learn something from him."
Lin Cangshi looked at Han Qi in confusion.
"Sir, there must be a reason why Lin Feng didn't replace him. Are you sure he will go against Lin Feng's wishes and pay taxes to the court?"
Han Qi nodded with a smile: "At least the difficulty is much less. It also depends on your ability, Minister Lin. It's best not to disappoint me."
Lin Cangshi knew that he couldn't avoid this matter, so he had to bite the bullet and say it.
"Sir, could you lend me this imperial edict?"
"Naturally."
Lin Cangshi came out of the Prime Minister's Mansion and looked at the bright sun above his head, feeling worried.
He does know Wu Ruolin from Jingxi Prefecture. He is a smooth person, but he can reject your request in a roundabout way.
He's a tough guy to deal with.
There was no other way. The task was assigned by the Prime Minister, and there was an imperial edict behind it. If Lin Cangshi could not collect some tax silver, his position as an official would be over.
Lin Cangshi went home to make some preparations, took two of his men with him, and went to the yamen to select twenty tax officers.
They are called tax officers, but in fact they just do the work of thugs or bodyguards.
They left the city from the west gate of Kyoto, each one riding a horse, and headed all the way to Jingxi Prefecture City.
As the commander of the Imperial Guards, Lin Feng knew everything that happened inside and outside Kyoto.
Hearing that the Minister of Revenue Lin Cangshi had taken people to the capital city west of Jing, Lin Feng smiled faintly and ignored it.
He was also busy trying to recapture Lindu Prefecture, and the entire plan needed to be detailed and elaborate.
It is said that Wu Ruolin, the prefect of Jingxi Prefecture, welcomed Lin Cangshi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, into the city and sat him down in the government office.
The servants brought tea and served the officials.
Lin Cangshi didn't waste any words. Everyone knew what he was responsible for in the court, so there was no need to be polite.
"Prefect Wu, let's put public affairs first and private matters second. Let's look at the account books first."
"Well, Lord Lin clearly distinguishes between public and private matters. This is admirable."
An official nearby was holding an account book, and the abacus was clattering.
Then he wrote the number on a piece of paper and handed it to Lin Cangshi with both hands.
Lin Cangshi didn't even look at it, but moved his jaw to indicate that he should hand the paper to Wu Ruolin.
Wu Ruolin took the paper, glanced at it, nodded and smiled.
"Come here, go get the accounts and show them to the gentlemen."
Lin Cangshi asked doubtfully, "What accounts?"
"Master Lin, in recent years, the Imperial Guards have collected a large amount of food and fodder from Jingxi Prefecture. I'm afraid the amount you have is not even half the amount of these IOUs."
Lin Cangshi groaned in his heart, this is the situation again.
"Alas, this matter is separate from taxes and cannot be counted as part of the tax revenue."
"Oh, then, Master Lin, who should I ask for this IOU?"
Wu Ruolin asked ignorantly.
"You should ask whoever borrowed it to return it. Do I need to teach you this?"
Lin Cangshi replied impatiently.
"So, the imperial court doesn't care about this matter?"
"It's not that the court doesn't care, it's that I can't handle these matters."
Wu Ruolin was puzzled. "The Imperial Guard's rations and fodder should be allocated from the national treasury. If they were borrowed from Jingxi Prefecture, they should be returned to the national treasury. Your taxes also go into the national treasury, so why can't you use the IOU to cover them?"
Lin Cangshi explained patiently.
"These are two separate accounts. You should ask whoever issued the IOU for it. This is separate from the tax money paid by the court. Do you understand?"