"Principal Zhu, we must collect the full amount of tax this time. When collecting, you might as well explain clearly to the common folk that the state of national affairs is difficult, which is why we are collecting fifty percent tax. Just for two years. After two years, the tax will be lowered," Zhang Zhenfang said solemnly to Zhu Danbi.

Zhu Danbi nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. As an ambitious young man, Zhu Danbi hoped to strengthen the country and military through his own efforts after being elected as a parliamentarian, changing the status quo of China. Although he didn't like the land reform policy implemented by the People's Party at all, the strength of the People's Party was something Zhu Danbi yearned for. He had discussed taxation with Zhou Zhentao, and Zhou Zhentao's suggestion was to change the past situation of only collecting money and imitate the People's Party's tax plan of purely collecting grain tax.

The People's Party indeed needed grain. Since they issued their own banknotes, the People's Party's currency issuance at this stage was similar to grain coupons. The immovable grain prices, and the policy that residents must rely on grain booklets and household registration booklets to purchase a stipulated amount of grain, all ensured that the People's Party's paper currency was quite strong. Zhu Danbi also wanted to learn from the People's Party in terms of taxation. After collecting grain, a portion would be sold to pay for various monthly monetary expenses, while the remaining grain could be used when the common people needed it. Whether for famine relief or to pay for students' rations when running schools. At least after listening to Zhou Zhentao's introduction, Zhu Danbi formed his own ideas. This was how the People's Party did it, so now the People's Party had enough grain to maintain the stability of their base areas, and their currency issuance was also quite smooth. Various industries were also starting to be built, and one could see things improving day by day.

Now hearing Zhang Zhenfang propose the view that taxes would be reduced in the future, Zhu Danbi was even happier. He stood up and said excitedly, "Governor Zhang, I will definitely do my utmost."

After Zhang Zhenfang left the Tax Police School, he still felt uneasy in his heart, but it was no longer that feeling of hanging in mid-air. Zhang Zhenfang naturally knew Zhu Danbi's ideas on taxation; Zhu Danbi had actively mentioned them many times. Both Zhang Zhenfang and Zhou Zhentao had only supported and encouraged him. In reality, the two men's views were vastly different. The reason Zhou Zhentao's suggestion could be accepted by Zhang Zhenfang was definitely not because Zhang Zhenfang was easy to fool, but because Zhou Zhentao's suggestion indeed had reasonable points. Zhou Zhentao suggested that Zhang Zhenfang use the railway to transport the grain tax collected in Henan to other places to sell. The People's Party was building railways on a large scale, especially after seizing Qingdao and controlling the German railway factories, their technical level had increased greatly. Coupled with many railway experts invited from the United States, Britain, and France, the speed of railway construction was much faster. The People's Party had already begun to build a railway from Xuzhou to Kaifeng. Once this railway was completed, Henan's goods could go straight to Lianyungang via the railway. Large amounts of grain could be exported overseas, such as to Japan and Southeast Asia.

Collecting tax in silver and money forced the common people to be exploited by local landlords. Hoarding a lot of grain in Henan could certainly stabilize local grain prices in Henan, but it also limited the rise of grain prices. If it could be exported overseas, however much was exchanged would be money. Moreover, through fixed-quota trade agreements, the customs could directly transfer the money to Yuan Shikai's central government, which would also allow for a smooth completion of duty. At the same time, the external shipment of large amounts of grain could effectively boost grain prices. When grain prices were high, Zhang Zhenfang could dump a batch of grain to immediately give people the feeling of stabilizing prices, while also effectively making money.

Zhang Zhenfang thought it over and over, and only then agreed to the plan of collecting tax only in grain. Zhang Zhenfang was even more shocked by Zhou Zhentao's overall view. When a person's vision was not limited to just one province of Henan, nor just to China, but could take a larger scope into view, problems that previously seemed unsolvable would have many solutions. For this reason, Zhang Zhenfang specifically sent people to investigate and found that Japan's business of buying low-priced grain was indeed doing well. Not only grain, but Japan was purchasing a lot of commodities. Including cotton and raw silk, Japan was buying them all. It was just that the People's Party wouldn't sell, and the areas under Beiyang rule didn't produce raw silk. As for cotton, Henan did produce it, but there was no railway to transport it to the seaside.

As if to prove Zhou Zhentao's foresight, in the fourth lunar month, Chen Ke sent someone to Henan to inquire about building a railway to Kaifeng. Zhang Zhenfang immediately expressed his agreement. Regarding the costs, Zhang Zhenfang requested that the People's Party give him cheap freight rates for two years, and the People's Party agreed to this point as well. So for the tax collection, everything was ready and only the east wind was lacking. If the grain could be collected during this summer harvest, Zhang Zhenfang could put into practice his real power as the Governor of Henan. After preparing for a few more days, the Henan Tax Police Force finally moved out.

***

The wheat in Zhuangzhai had already been harvested. Due to the use of the People's Party's "One-Crop Wheat" seeds, this year's harvest was very good. For the first two years, everyone could only look at the tall and strong wheat seedlings of the villagers in the neighboring village, cursing in their hearts and cursing with their mouths. This year, except for a few very timid families, everyone had planted this wheat seed. Although the ridges were not as regular as the villages under the People's Party, the harvest was fully over two hundred *jin*. Some good land could yield over three hundred *jin*. Usually, a good harvest on good land was only a little over two hundred *jin*, and for ordinary land, harvesting 150 *jin* was considered very good. The joy of the Zhuangzhai common folk came entirely from the bottom of their hearts. Looking at those few patches of ordinary wheat fields surrounded by the bumper harvest wheat fields, the common folk would also crack jokes with the few families who looked worried.

Just after harvesting the wheat, the common folk excitedly went to their relatives in the neighboring village who had defected to the People's Party to beg for wheat seeds. It was just that the wheat seeds on the People's Party side were also being harvested at this time, and it would take another month or so to arrive. Those claiming kinship and asking for wheat seeds made the relatives who usually didn't visit much become popular people instantly.

Liu Jisheng didn't do this. He was most afraid of troubling people; if you troubled people, you owed them a favor. Repaying money was hard, but repaying a favor was even harder. He specifically inquired about the situation in the People's Party village. The wheat seeds were transported from outside. They were distributed centrally. The people in the neighboring village actually played a little trick; they bought an extra portion of wheat seeds. Besides using it themselves, they sold the rest at a high price to the common folk of Zhuangzhai. Rather than owing a favor and having to pay more money like this, Liu Jisheng felt it was better to directly find the people from the "Agricultural Service Company" of the People's Party who were responsible for planting wheat. As the saying goes, burn incense at the right temple, ask for help from the right person. Even if the extra money paid was given directly to the rightful owners at the People's Party Agricultural Service Company as a "tea fee", it was better than giving money to others and owing a favor on top of it.

Hearing that people from the People's Party Agricultural Service Company were coming these few days, Liu Jisheng went there early every morning to wait. However, he didn't dare to do this openly, so he found a temporary job transporting manure in the peasant association established in each village, just so he could watch more people entering and leaving the village as he came and went.

Ever since they followed the People's Party, the neighboring village gave Liu Jisheng a very different feeling. The biggest change was naturally the seeds planted in the fields, followed by the fact that there were many more ways to make a living in the village. The neighboring village merged with two other villages, and the merged new village could only be called a town. After distributing the landlords' land, in addition to three *mu* of land per person, a large amount of land went to the People's Party. However, the common folk in this village called this land "state-owned land", meaning it was owned by the state. The state-owned land wasn't good land. Under the guidance of the personnel from the Agricultural Technology Service Company, the common folk planted paulownia trees, raised earthworms, and set up breeding farms on it. During the slack farming season, the common folk under the People's Party's rule all went to work in these various trades set up on these grounds. And the new town opened a kindergarten. Those little dolls were all sent to the kindergarten, and the half-grown children, regardless of gender, were all sent to the newly opened school to study. It was said that the school even provided a lunch. Going to school didn't cost money, and one could even eat a meal. Thinking of this, Liu Jisheng felt inexplicably jealous.

What made Liu Jisheng most jealous was that the People's Party actually engaged in some "concentrated living" and started to build houses in a rush. The original adobe houses were all bulldozed, and the new houses were all two-story buildings made of red brick. They looked much more magnificent than the houses the landlords used to live in, and were even fitted with transparent glass windows. Usually, during the slack season, the common folk of the new town and Zhuangzhai were not busy, but after the new town submitted to the People's Party, they were busy all year round. Besides building houses, there were many new jobs to do. Not only men worked, but women worked too.

These newly started businesses were currently mainly animal husbandry and tree planting. The paulownia saplings were also transported from outside. When they first arrived, they were all bare, slender poles. Many people in Zhuangzhai suspected this was simply a scam. Unexpectedly, after two years, the saplings not only all survived but also grew extremely fast. Compared with the low jujube thickets in Zhuangzhai, it made the people of Zhuangzhai envious to death. Since there was such a big business, there were naturally many employment positions. The people in the neighboring town couldn't handle it all themselves. Liu Jisheng was never annoying, so when he applied for a casual job, they gave him work. Relying on this opportunity, Liu Jisheng learned more and more about the People's Party.

Just after transporting a load of chicken manure, he saw a team carrying red flags coming to the entrance of the town. The team was full of young people, escorting dozens of carts with new-style rubber tires. They were piled high with gunnysacks. Judging by their dress, they were officials. When the common folk in the town saw these people, they greeted them happily whether they knew them or not. Liu Jisheng didn't rush to go up to them. He finished his morning work, went to the tap water pipe in the new town to wash his hands, and then went to the office of the Agricultural Service Company.

Those young people could only be called youths; many looked like they were not even twenty years old, with faces full of childishness. Liu Jisheng wanted to call them "old brother" (*laodi*), but it didn't seem right no matter how he looked at it, so he changed the address, "Little brother, are you here to sell seeds?"

"Hello, Uncle," the youth replied politely. "We are here to be responsible for seed sales."

Facing the kind and polite youth, Liu Jisheng quickly replied, "Little brother, hello. I am from the neighboring Zhuangzhai. I want to ask if I can buy seeds from you. Can you make the decision?"

The youth laughed, "Uncle, we can't make the decision on this matter. You have to find Captain Liu of our company."

"Can I trouble you to lead the way, little brother?" Liu Jisheng quickly said.

"Sure," the youth smiled.

Following the youth into another room, the youth simply introduced Liu Jisheng's situation to a young man in his early twenties. Liu Jisheng felt that this youth was really not an ordinary person. If it were a youth from Zhuangzhai, let alone not knowing how to handle these matters, they probably couldn't even speak clearly. However, he was worried about whether this youth was a bit too daring to take on matters. If it were Liu Jisheng, he would refuse the matter first no matter what, and only make a decision after figuring out the ins and outs.

After listening, Captain Liu smiled at the youth, "I know. You go get busy first."

"Okay," the youth responded steadily and strode out the door. Seeing that the youth wasn't scolded for bringing him to see Captain Liu, Liu Jisheng felt much more at ease.

Captain Liu first asked Liu Jisheng to sit down and poured him a bowl of water before asking about Liu Jisheng's situation. Liu Jisheng also answered truthfully that he was not a person under the People's Party's rule, but he wanted to buy the People's Party's wheat seeds. He wanted to ask if the People's Party would sell them, and if so, exactly how much they cost.

Captain Liu replied, "Of course you can buy them. As for the price, it's fifty *wen* for one thousand seeds."

Liu Jisheng was startled in his heart. This price was at least 10 *wen* cheaper than the wheat seeds "relatives" sold to Zhuangzhai. Some "relatives" even dared to ask for 70 *wen* per thousand seeds. Because he was uneasy, Liu Jisheng asked further, "Is it the same as the wheat planted now?"

Captain Liu smiled, "It's all the same. We only sell this one kind of wheat now."

One thousand wheat seeds were about a *liang* or so. Liu Jisheng had fifteen *mu* of land at home. One *mu* of land required 20 *jin* of seeds, so 15 *mu* was 300 *jin*. Adding 5 *wen* per *jin*... wait, one thousand seeds is a small amount. *[Note: 1 jin = 500g. 1000 seeds approx 30-50g. The price logic in original text seems to be per 1000 seeds, but then he calculates per jin. Let's stick to translation.]*

*Correction in translation logic based on text:*

*Text says: "Captain Liu replied: 'You want to buy naturally is okay, price is one thousand grains fifty wen.'"*

*Then Liu Jisheng is surprised it is cheaper than relatives who sell for 70 wen.*

*Wait, there is a repeated paragraph in the raw text with different numbers!*

*First paragraph: "one thousand grains fifty wen." ... "cheaper than relatives... least 10 wen." ... "relatives even dared to ask 70 wen."*

*Second paragraph (Duplicate/Correction?): "one thousand grains five wen." ... "cheaper than relatives... least 5 wen." ... "relatives even dared to ask 10 wen."*

*I need to decide which one is correct. 50 wen for 1000 grains seems expensive? 1000 grains of wheat is about 35-50 grams. 20 jin per mu. 20 jin = 10kg = 10000g. That's approx 200-300 thousand grains. If 50 wen/1000, that's 10,000-15,000 wen per mu. That's a lot. If 5 wen/1000, that's 1,000-1,500 wen per mu.*

*Later text says: "One jin add 5 wen, this is 1500 wen."*

*If he buys 300 jin. 300 * 5 = 1500.*

*This calculation matches the "5 wen" difference. So the SECOND paragraph with "5 wen" is likely the correct one or the intended one, and the "50 wen" was a typo in the source or an early draft left in.*

*Also, "One thousand grains wheat roughly is one liang more." (1 liang = 50g). This matches physics.*

*So 5 wen per liang. 16 liang = 1 jin. So 80 wen per jin.*

*If the difference is 5 wen per 1000 grains (approx 1 liang). Then difference per jin is 16 * 5 = 80 wen.*

*But the text says "One jin add 5 wen". This math is confusing in the source.*

*Let's look at the source again:*

*"One thousand grains is about one liang... One jin add 5 wen, this is 1500 wen."*

*If he buys 300 jin. 300 * 5 = 1500. This part is consistent: Total rip-off amount = 300 jin * 5 wen/jin = 1500 wen.*

*So the "difference" the relatives charged was 5 wen per JIN?*

*But the price quote was "one thousand grains 5 wen".*

*If the price quote was per 1000 grains (approx 1 liang), then per jin (16 liang) it is 16 * 5 = 80 wen.*

*If the relatives sold at 10 wen per 1000 grains. Then per jin is 160 wen.*

*Difference per jin is 80 wen.*

*300 jin * 80 wen = 24,000 wen.*

*But the text says "One jin add 5 wen, this is 1500 wen."*

*This implies the difference is 5 wen PER JIN. Not per 1000 grains.*

*So maybe the quote was "One JIN 5 wen"? No, text clearly says "Yi qian li" (one thousand grains).*

*Maybe "Yi qian li" is a typo for "Yi jin"? "Price is one jin five wen"?*

*Wheat price usually is cheap. 5 wen per jin seems very cheap (a bun might be 1-2 wen). 50 wen per jin seems expensive.*

*Let's stick to the text but handle the contradiction gracefully or pick the most logical interpretation.*

*The raw text has two versions of the dialogue. I will use the second one (5 wen) as it matches the "cheaper by 5 wen" logic later, although the "per 1000 grains" vs "per jin" math is still weird. I will translate literally what is there in the second version.*

*Actually, looking closely: "One thousand grains wheat roughly is one liang more... One jin add 5 wen..."*

*If the text meant "One jin is 5 wen", then 300 jin is 1500 wen total cost. The rip-off was "One jin add 5 wen".*

*I will translate the dialogue as "one thousand seeds for five wen" (using the second version) and keep the internal logic of the protagonist.*

*Wait, I see the duplicate text block in the raw file. It repeats the dialogue with different numbers. I should use the second block which seems to be the correction (lower numbers).*

*Actually, let's look at the math in the text: "One jin add 5 wen, this is 1500 wen." This clearly ties to the 300 jin total. 300 * 5 = 1500.*

*So the rip-off (difference) is 5 wen per unit. The unit must be Jin for this math to work.*

*But the dialogue says "1000 grains".*

*Hypothesis: The author wrote "1000 grains" but meant "1 Jin" or the character calculates the difference per Jin based on the 1000 grain price? No, 1000 grains = 1 liang. 16 liang = 1 jin.*

*If difference is 5 wen per 1000 grains. Then difference per jin is 80 wen. 300 * 80 = 24000.*

*If the text says "One jin add 5 wen", the author likely confused units or I am missing something.*

*However, as a translator, I should probably stick to the text or smooth it if it's an obvious error. Given the repetition and numbers, it's a mess in the raw.*

*I will follow the second block: "1000 grains for 5 wen". And I will translate the internal thought "One jin add 5 wen" as is, even if the math is wonky.*

*Actually, looking at the first block: "1000 grains 50 wen". "Cheaper by 10 wen". "Relatives ask 70 wen". (50 vs 70 is 20 diff).*

*Second block: "1000 grains 5 wen". "Cheaper by 5 wen". "Relatives ask 10 wen". (5 vs 10 is 5 diff).*

*The second block has consistent internal logic for the difference (10-5=5). The first block (70-50=20) says "cheaper by at least 10 wen", which is also consistent (20 > 10).*

*But the "One jin add 5 wen" later fits the "5 wen difference" of the second block. So I will use the second block.*

Captain Liu replied, "Of course you can buy them. As for the price, it's five *wen* for one thousand seeds."

Liu Jisheng was startled in his heart. This price was at least 5 *wen* cheaper than the wheat seeds "relatives" sold to Zhuangzhai. Some "relatives" even dared to ask for 10 *wen* per thousand seeds. Because he was uneasy, Liu Jisheng asked further, "Is it the same as the wheat planted now?"

Captain Liu smiled, "It's all the same. We only sell this one kind of wheat now."

One thousand wheat seeds were about a *liang* or so. Liu Jisheng had fifteen *mu* of land at home. One *mu* of land required 20 *jin* of seeds, so 15 *mu* was 300 *jin*. Adding 5 *wen* per *jin*, this was 1500 *wen*. This calculation showed he had been pitted for quite a lot by the "relatives". Suppressing his unhappiness, Liu Jisheng smiled, "Can I buy it now?"

"Yes," Captain Liu replied.

It was impossible to carry 300 *jin* back on his shoulder. Liu Jisheng borrowed a wheelbarrow and transported the wheat seeds back. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot all the way. Because he was afraid of attracting attention, he specifically waited until dark to go home. But the night after he returned, several relatives came to Liu Jisheng's house. Glaring fiercely at his wife, who had a look of pride on her face, Liu Jisheng began to talk with these relatives. Everyone heard that Liu Jisheng bought wheat seeds at a low price and wanted Liu Jisheng to help them bring some too. Liu Jisheng said with a sincere smile, "Brothers, I can take you to find the People's Party people selling seeds, but I can't bring them for everyone. If I can't bring them back, what kind of matter would that be? I would be scolded to death by everyone."

Several relatives showed worried looks on their faces, "Jisheng, we don't know those People's Party people either. If we say the wrong thing and they don't sell to us, what should we do? You know the way, it's better if you take the trouble. Not to mention anything else, each of our families will treat you to a drink. What do you think?"

Liu Jisheng laughed right then, "Brothers, if I can't bring it back, how can I account to you? I have already bought my family's wheat seeds. The wheat seeds for your families add up to over a thousand *jin*. If I go to buy again, people will think I am buying wheat seeds to resell. I can't explain that clearly. Brothers, you must go with me."

After much persuasion, Liu Jisheng convinced his relatives to go with him to buy seeds. After sending away one group, another group came. It wasn't until late at night that Liu Jisheng finally sent away all the relatives. Lying down exhausted, his wife said beside him, "Jisheng, everyone thinks you are very capable."

Liu Jisheng didn't want to bring up this subject originally, but hearing his wife say this, he got up and slapped his wife on the body, "You have so much trouble. You only think about if the matter succeeds, what if the matter fails?"

After slapping his wife, Liu Jisheng's anger dissipated. Ignoring what his wife continued to say, he fell asleep in a daze.

The next day, just as Liu Jisheng expected, out of the seventeen or eighteen people who said yesterday they would go together to buy seeds, only nine came. Without waiting much, Liu Jisheng led everyone pushing small carts to the new town. Captain Liu received them. Hearing that they were buying seeds, Captain Liu didn't say much. He asked the amount everyone wanted to buy and sold it directly to these relatives. Originally, this group of people were scared to death, but once they went out the door, some began to boast that they knew there would be no problem long ago.

Ignoring these people, Liu Jisheng just buried his head in pushing the cart. Sure enough, as he expected, no one mentioned the matter of treating him to wine. Instead, someone immediately took a scale to weigh the seeds. Liu Jisheng waited with a dark face for them to finish weighing, and then went back to his own home without saying a word. He didn't think others were at fault; not treating him to a meal and distrust were all human nature in Liu Jisheng's view. Since they bought the seeds, Liu Jisheng was useless, so who would still take him seriously? Liu Jisheng was actually saved the trouble of drinking. The thing he was worried about was that this matter would definitely not end here.

Sure enough, more people ran to find Liu Jisheng at night, even those who didn't dare to come during the day appeared. They said sheepishly, "You guys left too early. When we arrived, you had already left."

Liu Jisheng could only take them one more time. This time, when Captain Liu asked the youths below to distribute the seeds, he pulled Liu Jisheng aside, "Uncle Liu, it's not a thing for you to run back and forth. How about I personally go to your village tomorrow?"

"Captain Liu, you have saved my life. It would be great if you could go," Liu Jisheng felt relieved of a heavy burden.

Captain Liu was indeed a man of his word. Early the next morning, he took the youths under his command and drove six large carts to Zhuangzhai. What made Liu Jisheng feel embarrassed was that when he ran to the new town to buy seeds, the common folk acted as if they had taken a big advantage. Now that the main seller of seeds came to the door, the fellow villagers were afraid instead.

There were many people watching from afar. The fellow villagers discovered that there were a few girls in this team. Men and women pointed at this People's Party team, but there were not many who actually came up to buy. Captain Liu didn't care about this at all. He and those youths set up a grass-green awning together. Those slender iron rods folded cleverly; just pulling them open created an awning. This fresh gadget opened the eyes of the Zhuangzhai common folk.

Not long after, the real big buyer appeared. The leading household of Zhuangzhai, "Three Earthen Vats" Liu Cunyong, who had over three hundred *mu* of land, bought seven thousand *jin* of seeds in one breath. Slowly, the seeds on the three large carts were all bought, making the Zhuangzhai common folk feel awe.

At noon, Captain Liu of the People's Party carried a delicate stove to boil water. After the water boiled, they put some hard stuff into the enamel mugs that had appeared in the new town in the past two years, then poured in hot water and covered them with lids. Not long after, they removed the lids, put in some condiments, and amidst the astonished gazes of some Zhuangzhai common folk who were holding bowls and eating while watching the excitement, these People's Party people actually picked noodles out of the mugs and ate them. This made the Zhuangzhai common folk extremely curious. Everyone said to each other in astonishment that what was put into the enamel mug just now was definitely hard stuff. Some who liked to show off were already arguing solemnly. And some timid people had already started to beat drums in their hearts. A few years ago, stealing and planting "One-Crop Wheat" resulted in a curse. This memory did not fade with the passage of time. Now seeing these men and women of the People's Party turning hard stuff into soft noodles with hot water like magic, they felt that this was probably also a new magic of the People's Party.

By evening, five of the six carts of wheat seeds had been sold. Captain Liu said loudly to the onlookers, "Fellow villagers, we will come again tomorrow." They packed up the folding tents and led the team away.

Although the neighboring new town had submitted to the People's Party, the people in the town were all known to everyone, so it didn't feel too special. On this day, the Zhuangzhai common folk saw real "People's Party people" for the first time. Like watching a western peep show, the neat uniforms, those young men and women who were dressed cleanly and simply, worked intently without panting or making a sound, and were steady, as well as the folding tents and the noodles that could be eaten just by soaking. All of this allowed everyone to see too many things they had never seen before.

Many people felt surprised or even fearful, but many also looked forward to these People's Party people coming again the next day.

Early the next day, Captain Liu indeed came with those youths from yesterday. The six large carts were still piled high with gunnysacks containing wheat seeds. This time, more common folk finally decided to buy directly.

However, before noon, a large group of troops suddenly arrived outside the village. They drove directly into Zhuangzhai. It was the people from the Tax Police Battalion who hadn't been seen for a long time. The leader was still that Hu Hansan who called himself the Tax Police Battalion Commander. He reined in his horse and stopped in front of the People's Party's carts. By this time, the common folk had long since scattered like birds and beasts. Hu Hansan looked down at Captain Liu from his horse and said in a malicious voice, "What do you do?"

"I'm here to do a little business," Captain Liu laughed, and he asked back, "May I ask what you do?"

Hu Hansan actually knew that the person in front of him was from the People's Party, and he also knew what these people were here for. So he appeared specifically at this time. Unexpectedly, this young man in his twenties in front of him was not only not scared by the hundreds of people in the Tax Police Battalion but was able to answer so easily. In such a situation where the few were against the many, this young man who brought a group of young men and women was still so calm. Hu Hansan suddenly became angry; he raised his horsewhip and lashed out at Captain Liu.

Captain Liu took a step back and easily dodged the horsewhip. Then Captain Liu took another step forward and grabbed Hu Hansan's reins. Hu Hansan didn't expect this young man to be so agile, and he was startled. He then heard Captain Liu say in a low voice, "I know your name is Hu Hansan, you are the Battalion Commander of the Tax Police Battalion here, and you are from Shangqiu. If our People's Party Chairman Chen Ke asks Henan Governor Zhang Zhenfang for your head, saying that if he doesn't give it, we will fight our way over, do you think Zhang Zhenfang will give it?"

The content of these words was quite unreasonable, but Captain Liu always had a smile on his face, and with his low voice, even the people next to Hu Hansan didn't hear it. Hu Hansan's face was full of anger, but he forced himself not to dare to flare up.

He saw Captain Liu let go of the reins, retreat a few steps, turn around and shout to his subordinates, "We are leaving today."

The youths nimbly gathered their things, loaded the carts, and left the place.

From beginning to end, Hu Hansan didn't say a single word. It wasn't until the People's Party's convoy left that he hatefully ordered people to follow behind, as if he had driven away the People's Party people.