Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 329 Tax Inspection at the Enforcer's Office

Early in the morning, the area in front of the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office was already bustling with activity. Merchants from all over the country were waiting to enter the magistrate's office with their cargo manifests for inspection and counting before embarking on their journey home with substantial profits.

Because Spain and Portugal were Catholic, and the interpretation of Catholicism clashed with that of the Buddhist and Taoist Japanese, especially since Catholicism insists on God as the supreme authority and that everyone is equal before God, this was completely different from and contradicted the shogunate system, which was based on the shogun as the supreme ruler and strictly defined social hierarchy. The shogunate feared that the people's Catholic faith would turn Japan into a "demonic country," so it gradually moved from banning Christianity to national isolation, eventually completely prohibiting Spanish and Portuguese people from entering Japan. Therefore, nowadays, apart from the occasional Dutch merchant, almost everyone outside the magistrate's office is a Ming Dynasty merchant.

At 7:30 AM, the townspeople opened the gates of the magistrate's office precisely on time. The merchants were about to file in in an orderly fashion when a rumbling sound of footsteps rang out. Groups of soldiers carrying muskets came running in unison, forming two lines at the entrance of the magistrate's office, sandwiching the merchants between them.

This unprecedented scene stunned the merchants, and some anxiously asked the townspeople at the magistrate's office, "What's going on? We've never needed soldiers to maintain order when doing business before?"

"Yes, and these people don't look like warriors from your country..."

"Why are these people carrying firearms?"

……

Town official Amazaki Hyosuke, who rarely appeared at the magistrate's office at this hour, came out to explain to everyone, though a hint of embarrassment was hard to hide on his face: "Gentlemen, the transaction will proceed as usual, but a small procedure will be added—General Liu from the Ming Dynasty will be checking your taxes..."

Apart from a few who were out of the loop, most of the maritime merchants initially showed a hint of surprise and unease, which then turned into dissatisfaction and anger.

"Isn't this Nagasaki? It's not Fujian..."

"Aren't Ming Dynasty military officers going too far by coming to Japan to collect taxes?"

"Lord Town Magistrate, why are you allowing such a brute to appear at the Magistrate's Office and disrupt the normal trading order?"

……

Hyosuke Amagasaki, usually quick-witted and eloquent, was stumped by the questions posed by the crowd. He could only awkwardly wipe the sweat from his forehead and had nothing to say.

Liu Ye cleared his throat a few times, slowly stepped out from behind Amazaki Hyosuke, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, I am the warrior you're talking about. I'm the one who's collecting taxes. If you have any questions, come at me. Don't make things difficult for the town magistrate..."

Upon seeing the main figure appear, the merchants glanced at the heavily armed soldiers on both sides and hesitated to advance, their previous imposing manner vanishing instantly.

Seeing that no one dared to speak, a merchant with a Jiangzhe accent mustered his courage and asked, "The imperial court doesn't collect taxes from us, so why should you collect them?"

Liu Ye's smile remained unchanged: "Since you asked, I'll patiently explain, and I won't repeat this nonsense again. The imperial court does have commercial taxes, but they are collected through customs offices on the Grand Canal. The reason we don't collect from you is because the dynasty has a maritime ban. You are smuggling, not protected by imperial law, so why should we collect taxes from you? As for why I do collect taxes, it's simple: I have the strongest fist at sea, so I set the rules. Whether I collect taxes, and how much, is entirely up to my mood!"

Enraged by his arrogant disdain, the merchants, ignoring the menacing glares of the soldiers nearby, excitedly waved their fists and shouted, "You're nothing but a dog of the court! What right do you have to collect customs duties privately? We'll use our connections in the court to impeach you!"

Seeing the merchants' furious expressions, Liu Ye put away his smile and waved for them to be arrested.

Soldiers on both sides rushed forward, swinging their rifle butts and smashing the merchants down on their heads, causing them to cry out in pain and roll around in a heap.

Amazaki Hyosuke cautiously asked, "General, shouldn't we investigate further? It seems inappropriate to act so indiscriminately..."

"It's alright, Mr. Amagasaki. Most people who are swearing here are probably doing it because they're evading taxes and have something to hide. If they've made a mistake, I'm willing to pay for their medicine."

Amid the chaotic crowd, a red-haired foreigner waved a booklet and shouted in broken Chinese, "Don't hit me! I'm paying taxes! I'm paying taxes!"

The soldiers heard this, so they pulled him out and brought him before Liu Ye. Liu Ye took the booklet and examined it carefully. It was indeed a tax booklet with three-color printed patterns. The first page clearly stated in small regular script: "On the second day of the fourth month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, the Dutch merchant Lindelof sold 900 catties of pepper, 600 catties of spices, 700 catties of Javanese cardamom, and 100 sets of Western armor to Japan. The Bofu Customs collected a total of 4,600 taels of silver in taxes."

He immediately greeted him with a smile and warmly pulled the Dutch businessman into the office, saying, "International friends are always ahead in terms of tax awareness. Domestic businessmen should learn more from you."

Then he said to Amagasaki Hyosuke, "This is a Dutch merchant who pays taxes according to the rules. He can proceed according to your procedures."

Amazaki Hyosuke breathed a sigh of relief and instructed the townsman next to him to lead him inside.

After a chaotic scene, nine out of ten merchants gathered in front of the tax office had failed to pay their taxes. They were all severely beaten and tied up, their cries of pain echoing throughout the area. Liu Ye ordered, "Take all these people, along with the group captured at sea, to the dock. Break their legs right in front of their own ships, then confiscate their ships and goods in front of them!"

Amagasaki Hyosuke shuddered; this admiral was truly ruthless.

More than a hundred merchants, their hands bound and only their feet able to move, were herded onto the dock like cattle and sheep, then lined up in a row. Before them lay a dense array of merchant ships, most of which they had owned or hired. The captains, sailors, and crew stood on the ships, looking timidly at their employers. On the dock, many local Japanese were also watching from a distance.

Li Fu walked up to these people, pointed to the merchant ships behind him, and said to them, "These are all your own ships, loaded with goods that you painstakingly transported from Jiangnan. You were originally supposed to pay your taxes honestly and make a profit of four or five times after selling the goods, but unfortunately, soon you won't have a single copper coin left."

He said to Lin San, "Captain Lin, it's up to you now."

Lin San nodded, waved his hand, and loudly ordered, "Go!"

The guards stepped forward, reversed their rifles, and swung them around, smashing the butts of their rifles down hard on the knees of the merchants.

A series of cracking sounds rang out, accompanied by screams. In full view of everyone, more than a hundred merchants fell to the ground with broken legs, writhing in pain.

Li Fu shouted, "You should thank our general for his mercy; he didn't tie you up and throw you into the sea to feed the fish, and he spared your lives. Remember this: if you continue to evade taxes next time, it won't be as simple as confiscating your cargo and breaking your legs; he'll take your lives!"

Despite the excruciating pain, many merchants struggled to say, "Thank you, General, for sparing our lives!" But in their hearts, they were filled with regret. Saving those three or five thousand taels of silver meant losing tens or hundreds of thousands of taels worth of ships, goods, and their once healthy legs.