Chapter 458 Pirates

Su Qingyu and Lu Bocheng saw that the head of Leshan Village had some knowledge and his conversation was different from ordinary villagers, so they planned to learn some information from him.

He took him to his camp.

First, they asked him about the fish tax, and then about the villagers' sources of daily income.

After listening to what he said, Su Qingyu and Lu Bocheng had a general understanding of the situation in these fishing villages by the sea.

"Old man, how many villages like yours are there around here? How do their situations compare to yours?"

"To tell you the truth, along this coastline, there are more than 20 large and small villages around our village. For generations, they have made a living by going out to sea to fish. We are relatively close to Haizhou, and we can survive the day. If you have to go down, life in the counties below Haizhou will be even more difficult.”

"A few years ago, we were the people of Dashuo. Dashuo had been recruiting soldiers for many years. In order to avoid military service, all the young and strong men fled south. Only the old, weak, women and children were left in the village. Originally, every family had a fishing boat, and everyone It was sold and there were not many left.”

"Later, Dashuo fell, and we became subjects of the Liang Dynasty again. The Liang Dynasty rarely came to recruit troops from us, but the fishing tax was heavy. The catch we caught was not as much as what they paid. In the end, everyone They don’t want to go to the sea anymore.”

"But in the past two years, I heard that we have changed our owners again and have become the subjects of Zhenhai Jiedushi. In the past two years, fewer people have come to collect fishing taxes, and life has been a little better."

"But now even if we transport the harvest to the city, we can't get much money, and life has been so hard. Originally our Haizhou had abundant harvest, and many foreign businessmen came to collect it, but later there were less. We I have no way to sell it, and it’s not enough to be robbed by bandits on the road.”

After Village Chief Zou left, Lu Bocheng sat and thought about it for a long time, then called Qingyang and asked him to go to Haizhou to check the collection of fishing taxes in recent years.

When Dabao and Xiaobao heard this, they also wanted to follow. Lu Bocheng agreed.

The three uncles and nephews went to Haizhou Yamen with a few followers.

After they left, Lu Bocheng called Pei Chi again.

Pei Ji has only followed his grandfather Pei Shi all these years, training beside him, and has no specific duties.

Pei Shi originally wanted to wait until he got married before asking Lu Bocheng for a job. So now he is still at ease.

"Brother-in-law."

Lu Bocheng agreed and said: "From now on, you will report to the military commissary office and be responsible for searching, collecting grain and supplies, collecting, deploying, and distributing military pay, etc."

Ah, why was he suddenly appointed? Could it be that my sister interceded with her brother-in-law? Look at Su Qingyu.

Seeing Pei Zhi's confused look, Su Qingyu said: "Now the economic situation of the other states under your brother-in-law has improved, and each state has its own economic pillar industry. But in Haizhou, you also saw it when we came , the city can't even keep up with Xuzhou's 30% liveliness.

"Look at Leshan again. Their catch is very good, but the fishermen on the seaside are still suffering from poverty due to lack of channels and means. The tax revenue paid by Haizhou in the past two years is pitiful."

Pei Zhi nodded. He has seen all these situations.

Haizhou is next door to Xuzhou. Every household in Xuzhou has a surplus of food, but the people in Haizhou don't even have a single piece of clothing to cover their bodies.

"What does brother-in-law need from me?"

Lu Bocheng said casually: "In the future, you will bring people to buy the fish caught in Haizhou from them and supply it to the army. Then we will cooperate with the Haizhou Yamen to build several post stations along the line between the two states, and open a seafood store in Xuzhou City and Haizhou." The shop was opened in the name of the Military Supplies Department, and part of the marine goods collected were supplied to the army, and part of them were sold to foreign merchants, and the money earned was used as military pay. "

Pei Chi understood. If they purchased fish from Haizhou fishermen on a regular basis every month, their lives would soon be better.

"Yes." He responded loudly.

After Pei Zhi got this position, he immediately contacted Village Chief Zou. He also personally led people to select the seafood brought by nearby villagers, and asked Village Chief Zou and others for advice on how to distinguish the quality of the goods.

After Qingxing found out, she came to see Su Qingyu.

"Sister, you and your brother-in-law entrust him with such a big task, can he do it well?"

"Can't you have some confidence in him?"

"I have confidence in him. But he has never done anything like this. He has never taken over the matter of money and food. I'm afraid that he won't be able to do it, and it will delay my brother-in-law's affairs."

"No one is born with it. This matter affects the military and the people of a state. If done well, the economy of Haizhou, a large coastal state, will take off, and the taxes paid will also increase year by year. Your brother-in-law doesn’t have to worry about military expenses and the lives of the people in Haizhou.”

"Besides, it's quite appropriate to leave this matter to Pei Zhi. He is one of our own, and he won't make small moves inside, seek personal gain, or form cliques. Your brother-in-law can also worry less."

Qing Xing immediately patted her chest and said, "Brother-in-law, please rest assured. Pei Zhi is one of our own, and he will only be devoted to brother-in-law. If he does something inappropriate, I will not let him go."

Su Qingyao couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, then you tell him to do a good job. When your brother-in-law came to Haizhou this time, he also saw that among several states, Haizhou's tax revenue was at the bottom every year. He took advantage of the opportunity to visit in private. Otherwise, other states would be like this. Being rich, Duhaizhou suffers from poverty, and your brother-in-law feels uncomfortable too. "

"Sister, please rest assured, brother-in-law. I will definitely let Pei Zhi do a good job." After looking around, he asked, "Hey, where is my brother-in-law?"

"Your brother-in-law took people to check the surrounding area."

When Lu Bocheng came back in the evening, he saw all kinds of sacks piled up around the tent. He knew that they were the seafood collected today, so he picked some and opened them to have a look.

He saw that the quality was very good. After asking, he found out that he didn't spend much money, so he was satisfied.

Su Qingmei got him some water to wash his hands and served him dinner: "Where did you go in the afternoon?"

While Lu Bocheng was eating rice, he replied: "I went along the coastline and visited various fishing villages on the seashore. I also inquired privately and learned about the situation."

"If we want to vigorously develop the fishery in Haizhou, the environment must be safe first. In addition to the government's political integrity, no greed, no random collection of fees, and no random collection of fishing taxes, we must also ensure that there are no pirates to rob."

"Are there pirates?" Su Qingmei was stunned.

"There are bandits on the road, there are bandits in the mountains, and there are pirates on the seashore. There are always some people who are idle and want to get something for nothing."

"Are the pirates rampant? Are there many?"

"I asked Village Chief Zou and other villages, and they said that there are fewer pirates in recent years. Fewer people go out to sea, the young and strong are all captured in the army, and the fishing tax is also collected harshly. The catch is less, and the pirates are not profitable, so there are fewer pirates. But if we want to vigorously develop Haizhou's fishery, I am worried that pirates will come to the village to rob again."

"I have learned that these pirates are like suddenly emerging from the sea. No one knows where their base is. They not only rob ships at sea, but also rob nearby villages. After robbing, they flee to the sea. It is hard to guard against, causing the fishermen on the seashore to become poorer and poorer."

Su Qingmei frowned after hearing this. If pirates are rampant, the vigorous development of fisheries may not be able to be maintained.

But we can't let Haizhou continue to be poor because of fear of pirates.

"What are you going to do?"

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