Since sending that telegram to Yuan Shikai, Henan Governor Zhang Zhenfang had been waiting anxiously.

After listening to Zhou Zhentao's words, Zhang Zhenfang admitted that taxes in Henan were indeed quite heavy. If not for his strict family upbringing and his own emphasis on self-cultivation, he would have long since retorted, "If not for the People's Party eyeing us covetously from the side, and if not for the foreigners repeatedly plundering China, why would Henan have to bear such intense taxation?"

However, given his strict upbringing and emphasis on self-cultivation, he realized before speaking that he should not humiliate himself. The four provinces under the People's Party's rule were not considered very wealthy regions, and the Yangtze River valley was an area the British strove to control. Yet, the People's Party could collect only thirty percent in taxes, while the people of Henan had to bear a tax burden of nearly eighty percent. This was not something that could be explained away by a few complaints.

Zhou Zhentao remained unwilling to defect to the Beiyang clique. After a period of bitter persuasion proved ineffective, Zhang Zhenfang could only send him away. After sending the telegram, Zhang Zhenfang waited for Yuan Shikai's reply. Once Yuan Shikai inquired about this matter, Zhang Zhenfang decided he would try to make Yuan Shikai lower Henan's taxes no matter what.

After waiting for a few days, Yuan Shikai's letter arrived. This letter was attached to official government documents. In the letter, Yuan Shikai did not mention a single word about the former People's Party division commander Zhou Zhentao. He only told Zhang Zhenfang that national affairs were currently difficult, and since Henan had a large population and vast farmland, as Yuan Shikai's cousin, Zhang Zhenfang needed to manage Henan well and do credit to Yuan Shikai.

Putting down the family letter and opening the official document, Zhang Zhenfang's brows furrowed tighter the more he read. It was evident from the document that Yuan Shikai was anxious. Based on the population of each province, Yuan Shikai had set a tax quota. All local tax standards were no longer managed by the central government. Under the new tax standards, localities only had to complete their own tax tasks and provide a certain amount of tax revenue and grain to the central government. As for who the localities collected taxes from and how they collected them, the Yuan Shikai central government would not interfere at all; it was entirely the responsibility of the provincial governments themselves. In order to allow the provincial governors to possess a certain degree of deterrent capability, the Beiyang government permitted governors to establish "Tax Police" forces.

Zhang Zhenfang put down the document and sat there for a long time without speaking. Yuan Shikai's resolve was fully embodied in this document: determining the tax quota, handing over tax collection power to the Beiyang provincial governors, and allowing the governors to establish Tax Police forces. A series of measures were all intended to ensure that Beiyang's tax revenue remained stable. The document also emphasized one thing: "Taxation is the foundation of national operations. The central government will firmly support the provincial governors in implementing taxation."

To ensure tax revenue, one could collect taxes from ordinary commoners, of course, but one could also collect from the gentry or increase taxes on merchants. Judging by the meaning of the document, the central government would absolutely back up the provincial governors. No one would be allowed to complain to the central government. There was even a hidden implication that increasing taxes on local gentry and wealthy households would be done at any cost. Combined with the policy allowing provincial governors to establish "Tax Police" forces, it seemed Yuan Shikai had truly made up his mind.

Whether in the private letter or the official document, Yuan Shikai required Zhang Zhenfang to collect Henan's taxes no matter what. Originally, Zhang Zhenfang didn't dare to directly persuade Yuan Shikai to lower Henan's taxes. Now it seemed that even if Zhang Zhenfang summoned the courage to request a tax cut, he would only be reprimanded by Yuan Shikai.

Heaving a long sigh, Zhang Zhenfang turned his gaze to the map in the room. According to intelligence from spies, all major office locations of the People's Party had maps. The general explanation was that the People's Party wanted every party member and cadre to have the whole world in their hearts. Beiyang naturally refused to appear weak and also printed a large batch of maps to distribute to the Beiyang provincial governments, requiring them to hang them up as well. Zhang Zhenfang had slowly developed a habit of standing in front of the map to look whenever he encountered matters related to the People's Party.

Areas bordering the People's Party all showed problems of large-scale infiltration by the People's Party. Combining the intelligence Zhang Zhenfang had collected himself with what he obtained from Zhou Zhentao, in those poverty-stricken areas bordering the People's Party, where farming couldn't even support the people, accepting land reform, receiving cheap goods from rural cooperatives, and even working in the various factories and mines opened by the People's Party could effectively improve their lives. In southern Henan, the impoverished Dabie Mountain area had already completely thrown itself into the embrace of the People's Party. The People's Party's infiltration in places like Xinyang was particularly fierce.

In the eastern plains, four consecutive years of heavy taxation had caused villages to "fall" one by one. After implementing land reform and paying taxes to the People's Party, when tax collectors entered these villages again, being driven out by the local village government with random sticks was considered lucky treatment. Most tax collectors would be stripped down to their underwear, tied up with ropes, and paraded through the streets. Once subjected to such treatment, tax collectors dared not enter those villages to collect taxes again.

This gave rise to another matter. Many villages that hadn't defected to the People's Party at all also claimed to be paying taxes to the People's Party when faced with tax collection. This caused a drastic drop in tax revenue in the eastern Henan areas bordering the People's Party. Looking at the map of that area, Zhang Zhenfang's expression became increasingly ugly.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhang Zhenfang's eyes fell on that official document again. "Anyone who feigns compliance but acts in opposition, who does not understand the difficulties of the state, and who refuses to pay taxes, whether official, soldier, gentry, or commoner, shall be punished severely without mercy."

These words were not addressed to the gentry and commoners who might "not pay taxes," but were said for the provincial governors to hear. If gentry and commoners didn't pay taxes, there was no need for Yuan Shikai to issue an order; local governments would already "punish them severely without mercy." These words were telling the provincial officials that anyone who failed to hand over enough tax revenue to meet the target would be punished severely without mercy by Yuan Shikai.

It wasn't impossible to refuse this kind of order. If he resigned from the post of Henan Governor now, Zhang Zhenfang could escape his current troubles. Zhang Zhenfang sat back in his chair. He was 49 years old this year and was already the Governor of Henan. If he continued, entering the central government to hold great power in the future was not an unreachable dream. Resigning now would primarily offend Yuan Shikai greatly. Zhang Zhenfang was heavily used by Yuan Shikai not because he was a die-hard loyalist of Beiyang, but because he was Yuan Shikai's cousin.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhenfang finally made a decision. He prepared to obey Yuan Shikai's orders, which meant he had to carry out the tax collection work. Raising his hand to call over a personal attendant, Zhang Zhenfang ordered, "Invite the Beiyang Army Commander, as well as the Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Education Commissioner to the Governor's Office for a meeting."

***

Zhuangzhai in Lankao County was a scene of bustling activity. Although it had not joined the People's Party's base area, Zhuangzhai had also gained quite a few benefits due to its proximity to the base area. First of all, the local people of Zhuangzhai had bought winter wheat seeds promoted by the People's Party through relatives in nearby villages that had joined the People's Party's local government. These seeds had been rumored wildly in Lankao for a long time. It was said that wheat fields using these seeds had excellent harvests. At that time, Zhuangzhai people also thought they could steal them. When those wheat fields matured, some people from Zhuangzhai personally went to the fields under the People's Party's rule and bought a large batch of harvested wheat back.

However, at that time, there was a rumor saying that the People's Party's wheat was treated with magic. As long as the People's Party's red flag wasn't planted at the village entrance, and the spirit tablet of People's Party Chairman Chen Ke wasn't "invited" and personally "consecrated," this wheat would grow very poorly, or even not sprout at all. The local people of Zhuangzhai were half-believing and half-doubting about such supernatural things. But when the wheat seedlings sprouted, the people of Zhuangzhai had to believe it.

When getting the wheat seeds, the people of Zhuangzhai, fearing they would be cheated by outsiders, had over twenty villagers run a hundred *li* to the wheat fields that were about to be harvested and personally cut a batch of wheat to bring back. Everyone traveled through the night. When they returned, the local people saw the thick wheat stalks and the huge ears of wheat on them.

Facts speak louder than words. The villagers of Zhuangzhai saw the quality of the wheat stalks and ears with their own eyes. They were all farmers; how could they not know this was excellent wheat? The threshed wheat seeds were properly preserved. When planting these seeds into the ground, the commoners still felt, "No need to believe the Shandong people's boasting." Whether Chen Ke actually existed was still uncertain. The rumors said Chen Ke was like an immortal, but even an immortal couldn't possibly know whose family planted which wheat seeds from hundreds of *li* away.

It wasn't until the withered and listless wheat seedlings grew out that the commoners began to panic. In some fields where many seeds were planted, hardly any seedlings grew. After turning over the soil, the people of Zhuangzhai found that many wheat seeds seemed to have been cursed after being planted in the soil, simply not growing much at all.

The original mood of mocking the Shandong people for boasting immediately turned into great fear of Chen Ke. Chen Ke really had "cultivation." Otherwise, in the same field, half planted with local seeds and half with stolen seeds, why would the local seeds grow normally while the stolen seeds were completely ruined?

To ward off evil and avoid disaster, red flags were planted at the entrance of Zhuangzhai. The land planted with stolen seeds was plowed over again, and local clan elders invited shamans to perform rituals. A thick layer of incense ash and paper ash was burned.

How could the rural people of Zhuangzhai possibly see the magically powerful People's Party Chairman Chen Ke? They "invited" a portrait of Chen Ke that was personally "consecrated" by him. With no other way, and fearing they would incur divine punishment after angering this living immortal, everyone asked relatives to invite a local spirit tablet of Chen Ke and brought it back to perform rituals. Only then did the commoners feel somewhat at ease.

Various rumors about Chen Ke also spread in Zhuangzhai. It was said that Chen Ke himself was from Zheng County, Henan. Since childhood, he worshipped a Daoist priest living in seclusion on Mount Song as his teacher, learning heaven and earth-connecting Yin-Yang magic, knowing the creation of heaven and earth and the laws of all things. This Daoist priest saw that the Qing Dynasty's fate was exhausted, so he let Chen Ke go to Shanghai to worship a high court official named Yan Fu as his disciple. This Yan Fu was the current Premier of the Imperial Cabinet, formerly a Grand Councilor of the Grand Council, and was sworn brothers with the current Great President Yuan Shikai.

Then Chen Ke raised an army in Anhui. At that time, there was a great flood in Anhui. Chen Ke used magic to drive away the flood waters, allowing the local people in Anhui to farm. Chen Ke also cast spells, resulting in the wheat seedlings in Anhui growing wildly, with harvests even better than before the disaster. Then Chen Ke used talismans as generals and scattered beans to turn into soldiers, defeating the government army. He subsequently occupied Anhui.

At that time, Empress Dowager Cixi was in power. Relying on the two hundred years of dragon <em>qi</em> of the Qing Dynasty, she tried to kill Chen Ke. She then dispatched the current Great President, then Beiyang Governor and Commander of the Nine Gates, Lord Yuan Shikai, to suppress him. As a result, Chen Ke performed a ritual, casting the spell Jiang Ziya used to curse Zhao Gongming to death in *Investiture of the Gods*. He also wrote a curse text called "The Life of Cixi," which predicted when Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu would die, and then sent this curse text to Cixi. Cixi opened it and immediately fell under the curse. Sure enough, as "predicted" in "The Life of Cixi," she died together with Emperor Guangxu in less than three days. Chen Ke took the opportunity to campaign in all directions and seized a large territory.

These rumors scared everyone witless. They didn't expect that stealing some wheat seeds would lead them to steal from this living immortal. Wasn't that asking to be cursed? From then on, the people of Zhuangzhai gave up the idea of stealing wheat seeds.

Another year passed, and the village next to Zhuangzhai surrendered to the People's Party. The People's Party sent "agricultural cadres" to the countryside, and the corner of the wheat seed magic was finally lifted. It turned out that these wheat seeds were only sold by the People's Party. After being planted, they would yield a bumper harvest in the first year but would result in no harvest in the second year. The commoners suddenly realized the truth. No wonder every family guarded the wheat seeds so closely, yet when Zhuangzhai people went more than a hundred *li* away to buy wheat seeds, the locals actually sold them to the Zhuangzhai people. This was clearly digging a pit for everyone to fall into.

However, regarding these "cursed" wheat seeds, everyone dared not have any more ideas. Only a commoner named Li Sangou, who was so poor he couldn't go on, secretly begged for some wheat seeds from relatives in various villages and planted them. That year, the harvest was excellent. The wheat just grew differently. Everyone asked repeatedly, and Li Sangou couldn't hold out, so he told the truth. It turned out he had secretly planted the People's Party's "one-crop wheat."

Seeing that Li Sangou didn't die from a curse, people in Zhuangzhai successively began to "steal plant" the People's Party's wheat seeds on a large scale, also achieving bumper harvests. Last year, except for a few timid families, the people of Zhuangzhai all planted the People's Party's wheat seeds. Looking at the gratifying growth of the wheat seedlings, although they still muttered a bit in their hearts, no one lacked great confidence in this year's harvest.

In the third month of the lunar calendar, a large group of government troops suddenly arrived outside the village. Seeing the People's Party red flag planted at the village entrance to "ward off evil and hasten the wheat," these government troops actually spread out into formation and surrounded the village.

A sudden great change occurred, scaring the commoners of Zhuangzhai half to death.