Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

No sooner said than done, the next day, the mountain pass became a hive of activity.

The pass was a full four or five li wide. Attempting to build a city wall with only a few hundred people in a short amount of time was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Xiao Shaoyou and Han Shuo suggested harvesting hardy pine from Heiqi Mountain first. They would use thick, sturdy wooden stakes to erect a timber wall, similar to the palisades of a military camp.

With a wooden wall, they would at least have a modicum of defense. They could then take their time building a true stone wall later. Luo Yu agreed to this method on the spot. The able-bodied men were responsible for logging, transport, and driving the stakes, while the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children handled laundry, cooking, and smithing. In short, no one was idle, and everyone worked with soaring spirits.

In Luo Yu’s words, they were building their own home, so they naturally had to give it their all.

As the construction began, Luo Yu sought out Xiao Shaoyou and Han Shuo.

“I have a question that I still don’t quite understand, so I wanted to ask you two. In name, I am now the city lord, and all these people must follow my command. But how am I supposed to support them? Food, drink, basic necessities… everything costs money. We need a source of income. Where does Cangqi’s revenue come from?”

Back at Yunyang Pass, they at least had military rations and pay issued from above. Now, the silver required to feed so many mouths had to come entirely from Luo Yu’s own pocket. Silver was flowing out like water, and he was starting to feel a bit panicked.

“You don’t even know that? And yet you still want to be a city lord?”

Xiao Shaoyou and Han Shuo were stunned. In their eyes, Luo Yu was acting like a complete simpleton. Luo Yu felt incredibly embarrassed and snapped back irritably.

“I told you, I came from the backwoods and don’t understand these things. Just tell me already!”

Xiao Shaoyou finally explained, “The simplest source of income is taxation. The land taxes from the commoners and the merchant taxes from the traders within our jurisdiction are our sources of revenue.”

“The taxes belong to us? We don’t have to hand them over to the Imperial Court?”

“In name, of course you are supposed to hand them over.”

Han Shuo gave a look that anyone could understand. “But currently, which of the regional jiedushi or governors actually hand over their taxes? They all keep them for themselves, and the Imperial Court doesn’t dare say a word. Even if they do hand them over, it is to the powerful local clans in exchange for their protection.”

Luo Yu understood. Essentially, the so-called taxes were just protection money. The big fish ate the little fish, and the little fish ate the shrimp. To put it bluntly, the stronger one’s power, the more ways one had to make money.

Hearing this, he finally realized why the central Imperial Court had grown so weak and why they didn’t care about the life or death of the border people. Since the border didn’t give a single copper to the Imperial Court, why should the court send troops or grain to help them resist the enemy? They merely went through the motions.

“Then this will be easy to handle.”

Luo Yu smiled. “Jun Mozhu said that there are seven or eight villages nearby that fall under the jurisdiction of Qicheng. Now that Cangqi is our territory, does that mean I can collect taxes from those villages?”

“Exactly!”

“Haha, excellent. Then we can consider ourselves to have an income.”

The weight in Luo Yu’s heart finally lifted. “Brother Han, I’ll have to trouble you to take some men for a stroll. Tell those villages that Cangqi has a new master and that we need to collect some taxes. Whether it’s silver or grain, we need to resolve our immediate crisis first!”

“Understood!”

* * *

Two days passed in a flash. Han Shuo, who had gone out to collect taxes, finally returned with his men.

“How was it? Did you get the land taxes?”

Luo Yu scanned the group and noticed that everyone’s expression was quite grim. He immediately realized something was wrong.

“No,” Han Shuo replied awkwardly. “We visited all seven or eight nearby villages. Basically, every village has a major landlord who owns all the fields. We went from house to house, but we couldn’t collect a single grain of rice or a single copper coin.”

“How is that possible?”

Xiao Shaoyou’s brow furrowed instantly. “It is only right and natural for the people within the jurisdiction to pay taxes to the city lord. Furthermore, you went with armed soldiers. Did they actually dare to refuse?”

“It’s not that they weren’t willing to pay,” Han Shuo said with a bitter smile. “They said that five days ago, the Jun family sent someone.”

“The Jun family sent someone? For what?”

“The Jun family collected three months of land taxes in advance. Therefore, it’s impossible for them to pay us a second time.”

“What?”

Luo Yu’s gaze turned cold.

Five days ago… that was right before he had arrived at the Sanqi Mountains.

So, Jun Mozhu had gifted him Cangqi with one hand and sent people to snatch away the taxes with the other. Was he expected to go to the Jun family to ask for the taxes back?

“The Jun family wouldn’t care about the taxes from a few small villages,” Xiao Shaoyou said in a heavy voice. “Jun Mozhu did this on purpose. He wants to drive us into a dead end.”

“Hmph. If he thinks he can force me into the Jun family’s service with just this, he’s underestimated me.”

Luo Yu let out a cold laugh. “Let’s go. We need to discuss how to respond!”

* * *

Yunyang Pass, the Jun family camp.

Jun Mozhu held an ancient text, flipping through it casually. The aged butler served him respectfully from the side.

“He should have reached the Sanqi Mountains by now, shouldn’t he?”

“He has arrived.”

Having served Jun Mozhu for so many years, the old butler naturally understood who “he” was.

“How did the matter I asked you to handle go?”

The old butler responded softly, “The taxes for the villages in that jurisdiction were collected three months in advance. I have already instructed them that if Luo Yu tries to force them to pay, they are to invoke the Jun family name. If there are any problems, he can come to the Jun family. In short, he won’t get a single grain of rice for the next three months. Rest assured, Young Master.”

“Very good.”

Jun Mozhu set down his book and stretched lazily.

“I did a rough calculation. After two months in the army, the reward silver he earned from military merit should have at most two hundred taels left. He didn’t take much grain when he left, either. With over four hundred soldiers and civilians, there are many mouths to feed. Even if he spends all two hundred taels on grain, it will only last a month. If he can’t collect taxes, what will he do after that month? If he doesn’t want to starve to death, his only choice is to come to me.”

“Young Master, this old servant has one thing he does not understand.”

The old butler hesitated before finally asking, “You said before that you didn’t want to force him, which is why you gave him three paths to choose from. You said that forced melon isn’t sweet. But now, aren’t we still forcing him to join the Jun family by using these methods?”

“No, no, no. These are two different things.” Jun Mozhu smiled. 

“I gave him three paths to choose from freely for two reasons. First, I didn’t want to force him to join the Jun family. Second, I wanted to see the extent of his ambition. The fact that he chose the path of becoming a city lord shows that he is a clever man, and a proud one at that. He believes he has the ability and the brains, so he is unwilling to serve under others. My making things difficult for him and tripping him up, both openly and in the shadows, is actually a battle of wits between us. I believe he understands this. Cutting off his food is the first move. I have made my move; now he must respond. If there comes a day when he cannot handle my moves, then he has lost. Once he realizes he is not my equal, won’t he join the Jun family willingly?”

“Young Master is truly brilliant.” The old butler chuckled. “This is what they call ‘winning the heart is the superior strategy.’”

“You are right. Haha! Pack things up. We are heading home.

“By the time we return to Ding Prefecture, he will be just about out of food. Actually, I am quite looking forward to seeing how he will feed his people. If he can’t even pass this hurdle, then I have sorely misjudged him.”

Footnote: A jiedushi (节度使) was a regional military governor during the Tang and Song dynasties. Originally appointed to protect frontier borders, they eventually amassed immense political, fiscal, and military power, becoming independent warlords who ruled their regions like personal kingdoms and frequently defied the Imperial Court.

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