Among these people, the scholars and craftsmen joined the Grand Governor's Mansion.
The merchants obediently came to apply for business licenses and pay taxes.
The able-bodied young men chose to enlist and join the New Martial Army.
As for the commoners, Dongfang Mao did not go door to door to count the population and register everyone.
Instead, he opened a service window at the Governor's Mansion.
Anyone who considered himself an honest subject under the governor's rule and voluntarily came to register his identity and receive new identification could enjoy the welfare policies.
Such as tax exemptions, medical care, and claiming relief grain.
In this way, all four classes of people under the Grand Governor's Mansion had their adherents.
As for those who hid at home in silent protest, Dongfang Mao classified them all as unregistered residents.
At the same time, he strictly ordered every merchant and shop in the city to charge the prices set under the harsh regime to anyone who came to their door without identification from the Governor's Mansion.
Dongfang Mao wanted to see just how rich these people were, and how stubborn.
As for whether anyone would secretly buy things on their behalf—
It didn't matter. They'd better make sure they could hide it well. Otherwise, if the quantity of goods purchased didn't add up and the Night Patrol Bureau found out, they'd all be thrown into the Imperial Prison, whatever their reasons.
At the same time, Dongfang Mao hadn't forgotten another group in the city.
Foreign merchants, especially those from the Land of Fire.
They were people he absolutely couldn't afford to offend right now.
Never mind how powerful the Land of Fire was.
The area around Tsukimiura was suffering from a severe drought, and self-sufficiency was a pipe dream.
If he offended the merchants from the largest and most prosperous country in the world, causing them to abandon Tsukimiura—
In less than half a year, Tsukimiura would run out of supplies and food.
"Mr. Daisuke, Mr. Kaito, I'm sorry for the fright you've endured lately. Allow me to apologize."
At that moment, Dongfang Mao wore a gentle expression as he faced them. Daisuke and Kaito, the two largest merchants from the Land of Fire in Tsukimiura, immediately grew uneasy. They didn't dare even breathe too loudly, and hurriedly waved their hands.
"G-Governor, you needn't say that!"
Seeing their panicked expressions, Dongfang Mao shook his head, then poured each of them a cup of tea and handed it over.
"There's no need to be nervous. As I said, I've come to apologize, and I also want to buy up the remaining goods you and the other merchants from the Land of Fire have."
The two men accepted their teacups with trembling hands, but their shaking fingers still made tea spill onto the table.
"If the Governor needs these goods, we'll gladly provide them. How could we dare accept payment..."
They had watched the horrifying events unfold in Tsukimiura over the past few days. They'd long since decided that the New Martial Army's Grand Governor was a madman.
How could they still dare take Dongfang Mao's money?
"I said I'm making a sincere offer to buy them."
Dongfang Mao took a small sip of tea, his expression calm.
"I'll buy your goods at thirty percent above market price, as compensation for the inconvenience I've caused you all."
The two men across from him were taken aback and exchanged a cautious glance.
Daisuke cautiously ventured, "The Governor is most generous. We are deeply grateful. But may I ask if you have some other instructions for us?"
Dongfang Mao gently set down his teacup and nodded.
"That's right. Once the goods have been handed over, I'll send men to escort you out of the city. I hope that once you return to the Land of Fire, you'll continue trading with Tsukimiura."
He paused, then continued, "From now on, whenever your caravans come here, I'll buy your goods at a fixed price ten percent above market value, no matter how the market fluctuates. What do you think?"
"Well..."
The two men hesitated.
If this had happened before, they would've done whatever Dongfang Mao said. How could they dare object?
Getting out of this hellhole and returning to the Land of Fire was the only sensible choice.
But Dongfang Mao's offer did tempt them.
They spent their days traveling back and forth between the two countries. What else did they do it for, if not profit?
Ten percent might not sound like much, but most of their goods were basic necessities sold in large quantities, such as grain, salt, and cloth.
An extra ten percent profit was already substantial.
They wanted to accept at once, but the horrific scenes in the city from the past few days were still fresh in their minds, and they couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"You can surely see that I've acted rather aggressively these past few days, but my targets have mostly been the powerful clans and nobles who exploit the common people, as well as the obstinate holdouts.
"As for honest merchants like you, I've always treated you especially well."
At Dongfang Mao's words, the two men's expressions turned a little strange.
It was true that the powerful clans and nobles exploited the common people, but how could you say that with a straight face?
You didn't just exploit the common people. You slaughtered them outright!
Of course, neither man would say that to Dongfang Mao's face unless he wanted to get himself killed.
At the same time, they couldn't help being swayed by his words. They had to admit he wasn't wrong.
These past few days, they hadn't seen any merchants dragged out of their homes with their families by those damned men from the Night Patrol Bureau.
Merchants were the best at weighing costs and benefits. Faced with the threat of death, they wouldn't behave like those hotheaded fools who kept provoking Dongfang Mao's hair-trigger temper.
Besides, Dongfang Mao had now turned every level of the city's social hierarchy against him.
He couldn't afford to offend the merchants, the group least opposed to him.
He still needed them to regulate prices and help implement his policies.
So Dongfang Mao had made few changes to the world's already well-developed commercial laws, only adding a business license.
It would make it easier for him to identify compliant merchants, manage tax collection, and regulate merchants as a group.
For the city's local merchants, this was merely a bit of extra trouble and had little impact otherwise.
And although Dongfang Mao's policies had caused their businesses to fluctuate considerably, the Grand Governor's Mansion now needed to purchase large quantities of supplies, which could make up for much of their losses.
With practical benefits and intimidation working together, the city's merchants were gradually drawing closer to Dongfang Mao's side.
After weighing the pros and cons, the two men's expressions visibly eased.
Just then, Dongfang Mao spoke again.
"If you still have reservations, why not send your household managers to test the waters with a few small transactions? Once you've seen my sincerity for yourselves, you can return to your usual scale of business."
He paused briefly, a sincere smile appearing on his face.
"Of course, if you truly don't wish to cooperate, I won't force you. Once the goods have been handed over, I'll still send men to escort you safely out of the city."
At that last sentence, the two men's eyes shifted, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
Daisuke took a deep breath and was the first to cup his hands.
"The Governor has treated us with such sincerity. How could we fail to appreciate it? We accept the deal."
Kaito immediately echoed him, though he still left himself some room to retreat.
"Our first shipment can arrive in seven days. We hope the Governor... will keep his word."
At this, a glimmer of delight flashed in Dongfang Mao's eyes. The weight on his mind finally lifted, and he couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing.
"I intend to maintain a long relationship with you all. Why would I break my word?"
As he spoke, he picked up the teacup from the table.
"Come, here's to successful cooperation and lasting friendship!"
Seeing Dongfang Mao's sincerity, the two men couldn't help nodding inwardly. The last of their doubts faded away.
"To successful cooperation and lasting friendship!"
The three teacups clinked sharply in the air, and then all three men drained them in one go!
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