Kevin took the taxes he had to pay and reluctantly went out. Within a few steps, he reached the tax payment point in the center of the village.
A large group of people had gathered there, and on the temporary high platform, a man was shouting something loudly.
"Folks, this time, in addition to collecting Poll Tax as usual, do we have to pay an additional tax?"
With a bang, the crowd exploded.
"Why pay one more tax?"
"It's too much. We don't have much money in our hands."
"This is going to push us to a dead end!"
The villagers were furious and expressed their dissatisfaction one after another.
"That's it! That's it! Listen to my explanation!"
The people who came to collect taxes shouted loudly, finally making the villagers quiet down.
"Aren't we at war with tyrants? As soon as this war starts, gold coins flow out like water. Soldiers on the front line need to eat and drink, their weapons need to be polished, and their armor needs to be repaired. All of this requires money!"
"So, the newly increased tax is called [War Tax]! Once the war is over, the collection will stop. But during the war, we still have to pay! Everyone's life is not easy, Baden understands, so he mercifully reduced War Tax to 20 Copper Coin per person."
"20 Copper Coin! Are you going to eat people?"
Kevin shouted in the crowd, "We won't pay any more!"
"Yes, my family simply can't afford so much money! We won't pay it either!"
"If you don't pay, you won't pay! If you do, you'll starve to death!"
Under his leadership, more and more people said they would not pay taxes.
"You... how could you do this? Baden personally ordered the collection."
Upon hearing the name Baden, the villagers' momentum suddenly dropped.
Baden is a famous big landowner in this area. Many people regard him as the tax officer appointed by the lord, representing the authority of the lord. However, Kevin knows that this Baden is just a [village Tax Farmer].
Kevin stepped onto the high platform. "Baden's personal order is useless. Only the lord can decide whether to add new taxes. Let me ask you, is there any proof of the decree issued by the Lord's Manor?"
"Lord's Manor decree?"
Several Baden Family servants were immediately confused by the question. Obviously, they didn't have such a thing on hand.
Seeing that the other party was being questioned, Kevin snorted and shouted to the villagers in the audience, "Folks, if they can't come up with the Lord's Manor's decree, then Baden is setting up a private miscellaneous tax. We can report him to the lord."
"Ouch!" The crowd in the audience started to commotion.
"Absurd! Nonsense! What a load of nonsense!"
Several Baden Family servants were anxious and immediately fought back.
"Baden's words represent the Lord's will! He is the representative of the Lord's Manor here!"
Kevin asked, "Did the lord agree with him to increase taxes?"
"Since Baden said it, then the lord must have agreed!"
"We must see the law!"
"You don't know a word of Chinese characters. Even if I give you a decree, you won't be able to understand it."
"Unfortunately, I know some words, please show them!"
"You... don't refuse to pay taxes!"
The villagers became more and more agitated when they saw that Baden Family's servant Zhizhiwuwu would not come up with the decree that Kevin said.
"Vampire! Vampire!"
"Get out of our village!"
I don't know who took the lead, and some garbage was thrown at the servants.
"You bunch of unruly people, just wait for me!"
The owner of the Baden Family glanced at the thorny Kevin with hatred, and fled in a hurry amid the villagers' garbage greetings, not even collecting Poll Tax.
In a large house, Landlord Baden was chatting with several squire friends, bursts of laughter from time to time.
His butler hurried in and said with a sad face, "Master, it's not good!"
The chubby Baden pulled his face and said, "It's outrageous to be in such a panic! What's going on, is the sky falling?"
"I encountered some problems when collecting taxes..."
Baden As soon as he raised his hand, the butler immediately shut his mouth.
"You guys can talk here for now. I'll be back soon. You! Come with me."
Baden stood up, apologized to the guests, and led the servant to another room.
"Say! What's going on?"
"The newly added one [War Tax], the salt people said they would not pay it until they see the decree issued by the Lord's Manor."
"Isn't this simple? Can't you just find someone with more than Ink to make a random one to fool you?"
"It can't be done, sir, there seems to be some knowledgeable people in that village. If it is discovered that we have forged the lord's decree, then..."
The housekeeper gestured to his neck in fear and made a beheading motion.
"Hmph! You came up with this idea, but now you're so scared!"
"Uh... I didn't expect those illiterate salt people to ask about this."
"Where is Poll Tax? How much have you collected?"
"Well... the salt people were very excited at that time. They were a little scared and ran back."
"Trash! Trash! Let these people get out of here immediately. I never want to see them again."
Baden was furious and vented his anger.
Finally, he ordered, "Immediately send a team of people to that village, bring more sticks, and teach those who dare not pay the tax a lesson. Humph, I don't believe these untouchables are disobedient!"
"Yes, sir!"
The butler turned and left.
Baden has been accumulating a lot of resentment since the new lord took over and started to carry out [agricultural reform].
Because in addition to the cultivated land registered in the Lord's Manor, his family also secretly occupied a lot of public land.
Common land is land directly owned by the lord. Ordinary people can collect firewood, occasionally graze, etc., but large-scale planting of crops is definitely not allowed unless you purchase the management rights from the lord, and in this case you have to be in Register within the Lord's Manor, and once registered, you have to pay taxes on the Lord's Manor based on area or output. In addition to paying taxes on the Lord's Manor, you also have to pay one-tenth of the output to Church.
However, if you plant on public land secretly without letting Lord's Manor know about it, then you don't have to pay any taxes, and 100% of the harvested food belongs to you.
Baden is not alone. Many squire and landowners have done this for generations, and the lords of all generations have also turned a blind eye.
Unexpectedly, a Department of Agriculture chief Hansel came here last year, preaching [Farmland Consolidation] everywhere. The first thing he did was to check the amount of cultivated land in various places.
Hansel took people to visit various places in person, and large tracts of encroached public lands were exposed. After consulting the current lord, he took action against this phenomenon.
For those who admit to occupying cultivated land, as long as they pay a fine of three times the land price, then the land is yours, and you can just pay taxes in the future.
For those who cannot pay triple the fine, the fine will be doubled and the cultivated land will be taken back.
There are also occupied cultivated lands that are not claimed by anyone, so they will be taken back directly.
During this process, Landlord Baden's family suffered heavy losses in real estate and was forced to pay a large fine.
Baden, who was in great pain, thought about how to make up for his losses all day long. His butler gave him an idea - use his identity as Tax Farmer to launch an expedition [War Tax] on the pretext of the recent war between the two lords of Northwest Bay.